Calvin Jones (running back)

For other American football players of the same name, see Calvin Jones § Sports.

Calvin D'Wayne Jones (November 27, 1970 – January 22, 2025) was an American professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers, earning third-team All-American honors in 1993. Jones was selected by the Raiders in the third round of the 1994 NFL draft.^[1] He played for the Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders and the Green Bay Packers. In his only season with the Packers, they won Super Bowl XXXI against the New England Patriots.

Calvin Jones

No. 27, 44
Position:	Halfback
Personal information
Born:	(1970-11-27)November 27, 1970 Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.
Died:	January 22, 2025(2025-01-22) (aged 54) Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.
Height:	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight:	205 lb (93 kg)
Career information
High school:	Omaha Central
College:	Nebraska
NFL draft:	1994: 3rd round, 80th pick
Career history
Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders (1994–1995) Green Bay Packers (1996) Omaha Beef (2000)
Career highlights and awards
Super Bowl champion (XXXI) Third-team All-American (1993) Big Eight Offensive Player of the Year (1992) 2× First-team All-Big Eight (1992, 1993) Second-team All-Big Eight (1991)
Career NFL statistics
Rushing yards: 112 Average: 4.1 Receptions: 2 Receiving yards: 6 Stats at Pro Football Reference

College career

Jones rushed for 3,166 yards and scored 40 rushing touchdowns from 1990 to 1993 at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. He played I-back under the direction of head coach Dr. Tom Osborne. Jones' single-season high was 1,210 rushing yards in 1992.^[2]

His best single-game performance came as a redshirt freshman on November 9, 1991, against Kansas when Jones ran the ball 27 times for 294 yards and six touchdowns, including a 69-yard scoring run.^[3] During the 1991 season, Jones led the nation with an incredible 8.3 yards per carry.

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables

Height	Weight	Arm length	Hand span	40-yard dash	10-yard split	20-yard split	20-yard shuttle	Vertical jump
5 ft 11+1⁄8 in (1.81 m)	212 lb (96 kg)	32+3⁄4 in (0.83 m)	10 in (0.25 m)	4.58 s	1.61 s	2.61 s	4.09 s	30.5 in (0.77 m)

In the NFL, Jones played with the Raiders for two years. He ran for 112 yards on 27 carries in 2 seasons. He spent his final season with Green Bay.^[4]

Jones played with the Omaha Beef in 2000.^[5]

Death

On January 22, 2025, Omaha Police Department officers responded to Jones' home to assist firefighters with a natural gas odor. Jones was found unresponsive in the basement, and was pronounced dead. He was using a generator in lieu of a malfunctioning furnace, and officials said the circumstances of his death were indicative of carbon monoxide poisoning. Jones was 54.^[6]

Statistics

Jones' stats for the Nebraska Cornhuskers

	Rushing					Receiving
YEAR	ATT	YDS	AVG	LNG	TD	NO.	YDS	AVG	LNG	TD
1990	Redshirt
1991	108	900	8.3	69	14	3	25	8.3	17	0
1992	168	1,210	7.2	90	14	14	162	11.6	41	1
1993	185	1,056	5.6	64	12	7	117	16.7	55	1
Totals	461	3,166	6.9	90	40	24	304	12.7	55	2

^[7]

Jones' rushing stats in the NFL

Year	Team	ATT	YDS	AVG	TD
1994	RAI	22	93	4.2	0
1995	OAK	5	19	3.8	0
1996	GNB	0	0	0.0	0
Totals	—	27	112	4.1	0