Nebraska Football Great Calvin Jones Dead at 54

Nebraska football standout Calvin Jones -- who went on to play several seasons in the NFL -- was found dead in his Omaha home this week. He was 54 years old.

According to an incident report, Omaha Police responded to the residence around 8:30 PM on Wednesday ... and upon arrival, discovered Jones' body in the basement.

Officials tell TMZ Sports a gas generator was located inside the home and "signs of carbon monoxide poisoning" were evident ... but an official cause of death will be announced after an autopsy is completed.

The Omaha native was a stellar athlete for the Cornhuskers ... he rushed for 3,166 yards and 40 touchdowns in the early '90s.

One of his most notable college football accomplishments came in 1991, when he ran for 294 yards and six TDs in a single game as a redshirt freshman.

He earned several awards in college, including Big Eight Offensive Player of the Year and two first-team All-Big Eight selections. Jones was inducted into the Nebraska Athletics Hall of Fame in 2004.

After three seasons at Nebraska, Jones declared for the 1994 NFL Draft and was selected by the Raiders in the third round. He also played for the Green Bay Packers ... where he was a member of the Super Bowl XXXI-winning team.