Steven Lee Nelson (born April 26, 1951) is an American former professional football player and high school coach. He played as a

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, ...

for the New England Patriots of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL) from 1974 to 1987. He served as the head coach at

Curry College Curry College is a private college in Milton, Massachusetts. It was founded as the School of Elocution and Expression by Anna Baright in 1879. In 1885, it was taken over and renamed by Samuel Silas Curry. History Curry College was founded in ...

Milton, Massachusetts Milton is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States and an affluent suburb of Boston. The population was 28,630 at the 2020 census. Milton is the birthplace of former U.S. President George H. W. Bush, and architect Buckminster Fuller. ...

from 1998 to 2005, compiling a record of 64–22. Nelson was a three-sport athlete at

Anoka High School Anoka High School is a four-year public high school located in Anoka, Minnesota, United States. It serves grades 9– 12 for the Anoka-Hennepin School District 11. History The first Anoka High School was opened in 1904 and located in downtown An ...

, in

Anoka, Minnesota Anoka ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Anoka County, Minnesota, United States. Its population was 17,142 at the 2010 census. Anoka is the "Halloween Capital of the World" because it hosted one of the first Halloween parades in 1920. It ...

, 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 at

North Dakota State University North Dakota State University (NDSU, formally North Dakota State University of Agriculture and Applied Sciences) is a public land-grant research university in Fargo, North Dakota. It was founded as North Dakota Agricultural College in 1890 as t ...

and graduated in 1974 after being named a two-time All-American, team captain and MVP in football. He was selected by the Patriots in the second round of the

1974 NFL Draft The 1974 NFL draft took place at the Americana Hotel in New York City, New York, on January 29–30, 1974. Each of the 26 NFL teams were granted 17 selections for a total of 442 picks. Many experts consider the 1974 Pittsburgh Steelers to have ha ...

. He was selected to the

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...

three times in 1980, 1984, and 1985 and his #57 jersey was retired by the Patriots. He is credited with helping the Patriots reach Super Bowl XX versus the Chicago 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.

Head coaching record

References

External links

New England Patriots bio
* 1951 births Living people American football linebackers American sports announcers Curry Colonels athletic directors Curry Colonels football coaches New England Patriots coaches New England Patriots players North Dakota State Bison football players American Conference Pro Bowl players Anoka High School alumni People from Anoka, Minnesota People from Farmington, Minnesota Coaches of American football from Minnesota Players of American football from Minnesota National Football League players with retired numbers Ed Block Courage Award recipients {{linebacker-1950s-stub

Head coaching record

See also

References

External links