Karl Stuart Nelson (born June 14, 1960) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was an

offensive tackle Offensive may refer to: * Offensive (military), type of military operation * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Fighting words, spoken words which would have a tendency to cause acts of violence by the ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). Born and raised in

DeKalb, Illinois DeKalb ( ) is a city in DeKalb County, Illinois, United States. The population was 40,290 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The city is named after decorated Franconian-French war hero Johann de Kalb, who died during the Ameri ...

, Nelson played scholastically at DeKalb High School, where he earned all-state honors in football, was a star pitcher for the baseball team, and lettered in basketball. He played collegiately for the Iowa State Cyclones. As a junior, Nelson was named second-team All-Big Eight by the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

(AP) and as a senior was tabbed first-team. Also as a senior, he was honored by the

Newspaper Enterprise Association The Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA) is an editorial column and comic strip newspaper syndication service based in the United States and established in 1902. The oldest syndicate still in operation, the NEA was originally a secondary new ...

as a first-team

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

. Nelson was selected by the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

in the third-round of the

1983 NFL draft The 1983 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 26–27, 1983, at the New York Sh ...

. He spent his rookie season on the

injured reserve list The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in t ...

, but started all 55 games at right tackle over the next three seasons, culminating with the Giants victory in

Super Bowl XXI Super Bowl XXI was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion New York Giants to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for ...

. Shortly after the Super Bowl, Nelson was diagnosed with

Hodgkin's disease Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is a type of lymphoma in which cancer originates from a specific type of white blood cell called lymphocytes, where multinucleated Reed–Sternberg cells (RS cells) are present in the lymph nodes. The condition was named a ...

, and sat out the 1987 season. He made an amazing comeback in 1988, regaining his starting job, but injured his ankle in week 2. He returned from the injury in week 9, appearing in 7 more games that season. His Hodgkin's disease returned in 1989, forcing him to sit out yet another season, although he did help to coach the team's offensive line. He announced his retirement on December 13, 1989, saying, "I don't have the push for those five-hour workout days anymore." In 1989, Nelson was the recipient of the George Halas Award, given by the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA) to an NFL player, coach or staff member who overcomes the most adversity to succeed. He also served as a commentator on Giants radio broadcasts. Nelson went on to work in the financial services industry, and in 1993 published an autobiography, "Life on the Line". Nelson currently resides with his wife, Inga, in Northern New Jersey and is an active advocate for various charities. His primary charity is Adopt-a-Soldier Platoon.

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nelson, Karl 1960 births Living people American football offensive tackles Sportspeople from DeKalb, Illinois Iowa State Cyclones football players New York Giants players New York Giants announcers All-American college football players

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