Category - News
Former Super Bowl Champ Dead at 54
Former Green Bay Packers running back Calvin Jones, who was a part of the title-winning team during their 1997 Super Bowl victory, has died at the age of 54.
According to The Omaha World-Herald, Jones is believed to have died from carbon monoxide poisoning, though authorities have yet to confirm his cause of death until an autopsy is completed. Police told KETV that the furnace in Jones' home had gone out and he was using a generator in the basement. Firefighters were called to the home at around 8:30 p.m. on Jan. 22 after receiving a report of a gas odor. They immediately called police when they arrived and found his body in the basement and no one else in the house.
After rising to prominence in high school as a star All-American football player in his native Omaha, Jones went on to a successful college career at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, rushing 3,166 yards and 40 touchdowns during his time there. He declared for the NFL draft in 1994 and was a third-round pick for the Oakland Raiders.
We are deeply saddened by the passing of Husker legend and Super Bowl Champion, Calvin Jones.
— Nebraska Football (@HuskerFootball) January 24, 2025
Our hearts go out to the Jones family and he will be greatly missed. pic.twitter.com/fCsYkOvB4k
During his time in the NFL, he appeared in 15 games across two seasons with the Raiders and had a total of 27 carries for 112 yards. He then moved to the Green Bay Packers for the 1996 season, appearing in one game for the team. The Packers went on to win the Super Bowl that season, though Jones reportedly lost his Super Bowl ring years later after allegedly defaulting on a loan.
When looking back on his life at his 2015 induction into the Nebraska High School Sports Hall of Fame, Jones credited his success to his maternal grandparents who looked after him for much of his childhood.
"It was a difficult time in their life," he said, per The Omaha World-Herald. "They were a lot older and they had raised their kids, and here I came into their lives. It took a lot of courage, but a lot of love."