Calvin Jones (running back)
American football player (1970–2025)
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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.
Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.
Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.
| No. 27, 44 | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Halfback | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born | November 27, 1970 Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. | ||||||||||
| Died | January 22, 2025 (aged 54) Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. | ||||||||||
| Listed height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||||
| Listed weight | 205 lb (93 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school | Omaha Central | ||||||||||
| College | Nebraska | ||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1994 (3rd round, 80th overall pick) | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
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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.[2] During the 1991 season, Jones led the nation with an incredible 8.3 yards per carry.
Professional career
| 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.[3]
Jones played with the Omaha Beef in 2000.[4]
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.[5]
Statistics
| 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 |