OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - Big Red Nation is mourning the loss of a gridiron legend.

Calvin Jones — a running back who dazzled Husker fans with his breakneck speed as part of Tom Osborne’s famous “we-back” system in the early 1990s — died Wednesday.

He was 54.

Omaha Police responded to his home near 38th and Franklin Street after a neighbor called firefighters to report an odor of gas coming from the house.

Officers said a man, later identified as Jones, was found dead in the basement. Police confirmed to our partners at First Alert 6 that a generator was present and that there were “signs of carbon monoxide poisoning,” but an official cause of death is pending an autopsy report.

Jones racked up more than 3,000 rushing yards and scored 40 touchdowns during his time in Lincoln from 1990-1993. As a freshman, he led the Big 8 Conference in scoring before being named an All-American as a sophomore.

In 1992, he and backfield mate Derek Brown — who were both I-backs — averaged 329 yards-per-game, leading the Huskers to the team rushing title and an Orange Bowl appearance. That year, Jones and Brown were dubbed the “we-backs” due to their unmatched production as a duo in Osborne’s prolific rushing attack.

Jones also goes down as one of the best high school football players in Nebraska history, earning prep All-American status at Omaha Central while setting several records, including rushing yards in a single game, rushing yards in a single season, and career total rushing yards.

Jones received the honor of Gatorade Circle of Champions state running back of the year in 1989, when he averaged a whopping 8.4 yards-per-carry. He was also a state champion sprinter for Omaha Central’s track and field team.

In the 1994 NFL Draft, Jones was selected by the Los Angeles Raiders, who moved to Oakland a year later. He spent two seasons with the Raiders before winning a Super Bowl in his only season with the Green Bay Packers in 1996. He later played one season for the Omaha Beef arena football team in 2000.

Nebraska Athletics inducted Jones into its Hall of Fame in 2004.