_(cropped).jpg) Nelson in 2015 | |||||||||
| No. 57 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Linebacker | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1951-04-26)April 26, 1951 (age 74) Farmington, Minnesota, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||
| Weight | 230 lb (104 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Anoka(Anoka, Minnesota) | ||||||||
| College | North Dakota State | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1974: 2nd round, 34th overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
Playing | |||||||||
Coaching | |||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Steven Lee Nelson (born April 26, 1951) is an American former professionalfootball player and high school coach. He played as alinebacker for theNew England Patriots of theNational Football League (NFL) from 1974 to 1987. He served as the head coach atCurry College inMilton, Massachusetts from 1998 to 2005, compiling a record of 64–22.
Nelson was a three-sport athlete atAnoka High School, inAnoka, Minnesota, earning letters in football, basketball and baseball. As a senior, Nelson was selected as captain, team MVP and to the all-state team in football. Nelson went on to college atNorth Dakota State University and graduated in 1974 after being named a two-time All-American, team captain and MVP in football.[1]
He was selected by the Patriots in the second round of the1974 NFL draft. He was selected to thePro Bowl three times in 1980, 1984, and 1985 and his #57 jersey was retired by the Patriots. He is credited with helping the Patriots reachSuper Bowl XX versus theChicago Bears.
Nelson played linebacker for the Patriots from 1974 to 1987 and became the nucleus of the Patriots defense. Nelson was voted to three Pro Bowls and recorded more than 100 tackles nine times during his career. He led the Patriots in tackles in eight of his 14 seasons, including an unofficial team record of 207 in 1984. He finished his career with 1,776 total tackles. After retirement, he coached for the Patriots and later built Curry College into a perennial power. In 1993, Nelson was inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame.
More recently, Nelson has become a familiar football analyst on local television and radio. He currently works as a business development executive for Lighthouse Computer Services, Inc., a Lincoln, RI-based technology company. In September 2011, Nelson was named to the inaugural class of the Anoka High School Hall of Fame. He currently resides in Middleboro, MA with his wife Angela and his five daughters, Cameron, Caitlin, Casey, Kelli, and Grace.[1][2]
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Curry Colonels(New England Football Conference / Commonwealth Coast Football)(1998–2005) | |||||||||
| 1998 | Curry | 6–4 | 4–2 | 3rd(Blue) | |||||
| 1999 | Curry | 7–3 | 5–1 | 2nd(Blue) | |||||
| 2000 | Curry | 6–4 | 3–3 | T–4th(Boyd) | |||||
| 2001 | Curry | 9–2 | 4–1 | 2nd(Boyd) | |||||
| 2002 | Curry | 7–3 | 3–2 | T–2nd(Boyd) | |||||
| 2003 | Curry | 11–1 | 6–0 | 1st(Boyd) | LNCAA Division III First Round | ||||
| 2004 | Curry | 9–2 | 5–1 | T–1st(Boyd) | LNCAA Division III First Round | ||||
| 2005 | Curry | 9–3 | 6–0 | 1st(Boyd) | LNCAA Division III First Round | ||||
| Curry: | 64–22 | 36–10 | |||||||
| Total: | 64–22 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
