James Benjamin Nelson (born April 1, 1941) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

halfback and defensive back. He played one season for the AFL's

Houston Oilers The Houston Oilers were a professional American football team that played in Houston from its founding in 1960 to 1996 before relocating to Memphis, and later Nashville, Tennessee becoming the Tennessee Titans. The Oilers began play in 1960 a ...

in 1964. Nelson was co-captain on the

1963 Alabama Crimson Tide football team The 1963 Alabama Crimson Tide football team (variously "Alabama", "UA" or "Bama") represented the University of Alabama in the 1963 NCAA University Division football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 69th overall and 30th season as a member of t ...

. who Forrest Gump portrays as the Alabama half back who made the 1963 all American team.

References

1941 births Living people Players of American football from Huntsville, Alabama American football halfbacks American football defensive backs Alabama Crimson Tide football players Houston Oilers players American Football League players {{Defensiveback-1940s-stub