Picasso Nelson (born May 1, 1973) 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 ...

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...

who played two seasons in the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

(CFL) with the

BC Lions The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Lions compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and play their home games at BC Place. The Lions played their first seas ...

and Edmonton Eskimos. He played college football at

Jackson State University Jackson State University (Jackson State or JSU) is a public historically black research university in Jackson, Mississippi. It is one of the largest HBCUs in the United States and the fourth largest university in Mississippi in terms of studen ...

and attended Hattiesburg High School in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. He was also a member of the

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 ...

, New York Giants and

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), based in Toronto, Ontario ...

College career

Nelson played for the

Jackson State Tigers The Jackson State Tigers and Lady Tigers represent Jackson State University, Jackson, Mississippi, in NCAA intercollegiate athletics. Conference affiliation Jackson State University's athletic teams participate in the Southwestern Athletic Confe ...

from 1992 to 1995. He was named the

Southwest Athletic Conference The Southwest Conference (SWC) was an NCAA Division I college athletic conference in the United States that existed from 1914 to 1996. Composed primarily of schools from Texas, at various times the conference included schools from Oklahoma a ...

defensive player of the year in 1995 after recording eight interceptions. He was also chosen for the Senior and

Hula Bowl The Hula Bowl is a post-season college football all-star game held annually, usually in January. From inception through the 2021 playing, it was held in Hawaii; since the 2022 edition, it has been played in Orlando, Florida. The game was first st ...

teams. He was inducted into the Jackson State University Sports Hall of Fame in 2009.

Professional career

Houston Oilers

Nelson was signed by the Houston Oilers on April 24, 1996 and was released by the team before the start of the 1996 season.

New York Giants

Nelson signed with the New York Giants on March 12, 1997. He was released by the Giants on August 12, 1997.

Toronto Argonauts

Nelson was signed by the Toronto Argonauts in March 1998. He was released by the Argonauts on June 27, 1998.

BC Lions

Nelson signed with the BC Lions on August 24, 1998 and played in ten games for the Lions during the 1998 season. He played in one game during the 1999 season before being released by the Lions on August 1, 1999.

Edmonton Eskimos

Nelson was signed by the Edmonton Eskimos on September 10, 1999. He was released by the Eskimos in February 2000.

Coaching career

Nelson was later an assistant coach for the

Jones County Junior College Bobcats Jones College is a public community college in Ellisville, Mississippi. It is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and serves its eight-county district consisting of Clarke, Covington, Gree ...

Personal life

Nelson's son, Picasso Nelson, Jr., is a former NFL cornerback who last played for the Arizona Cardinals; he played college football for the

Southern Miss Golden Eagles The Southern Miss Golden Eagles and Lady Eagles (also known as Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles and Lady Eagles) are the intercollegiate athletics teams that represent the University of Southern Mississippi (USM), located in Hattiesburg, Miss ...

. Nelson Jr.'s cousin, Kenny Shedd, also played in the NFL, as well as Nelson Jr's great-uncle, former Dallas Cowboy Eugene Bowen.

References

External links

Just Sports Stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nelson, Picasso Living people 1973 births Players of American football from Hattiesburg, Mississippi Players of Canadian football from Mississippi American football linebackers Canadian football linebackers African-American players of American football African-American players of Canadian football Jackson State Tigers football players BC Lions players Edmonton Elks players Jones County Bobcats football coaches 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American sportspeople