Jones played college football for the Iowa Hawkeyes and he is one of only two players (along with Nile Kinnick) to have his jersey number retired by the school.

He played one year with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Western Interprovincial Football Union (WIFU).

Cal Jones is a member of The Pigskin Club Of Washington, D.C. National Intercollegiate All-American Football Players Honor Roll.

Jones ran upstairs, packed a bag, and rode to Iowa City with Vincent and Gilliam.

[1] Jones' sudden switch from Ohio State to conference rival Iowa caused Big Ten commissioner Tug Wilson to conduct a personal investigation.

[2] The "Steubenville Trio" (as Jones, Vincent, and Gilliam were called) arrived with Iowa football in bad shape.

That season, Jones also became the first college football player and first African American to be featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine in its September 27, 1954 issue, which shows a tightly cropped slightly blurry image of Jones face wearing a football helmet.

Instead, he went to Canada and signed with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Western Interprovincial Football Union (WIFU).

[4][5][6] Gilliam and the rest of the Iowa Hawkeye team heard of Jones's death as they prepared for the 1957 Rose Bowl against Oregon State.

Cal Jones is currently the only three-time first team All-American in Iowa history and was the first college football player on the cover of Sports Illustrated in 1954.

The street where Steubenville High School's Harding Stadium is located, is named in Calvin Jones' honor.

Jones' grandson, Edwin Harrison, was a National Football League guard on the practice squad of the Kansas City Chiefs.