Emerson William "Spike" Nelson (April 2, 1906 – October 20, 1998) was an American

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Mississippi State College, now

Mississippi State University Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a Public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Mississippi State, Mississippi, Un ...

, in 1938 and at

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

in 1941, compiling a career head coaching record of 5–13. He played college football as a tackle at the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...

and was selected as a first-team tackle by the ''

New York Sun ''The New York Sun'' is an American conservative news website and former newspaper based in Manhattan, New York. From 2009 to 2021, it operated as an (occasional and erratic) online-only publisher of political and economic opinion pieces, as we ...

'' on its 1926 College Football All-America Team. He was also selected as a second-team All-American by the Associated Press and Central Press. Nelson was also an

All-America 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 ...

hammer throw The hammer throw (HT for short) is one of the four throwing events in regular outdoor track-and-field competitions, along with the discus throw, shot put and Javelin throw, javelin. The hammer used in this sport is not like any of the tools a ...

er and

discus throw The discus throw (), also known as disc throw, is a track and field sport in which the participant athlete throws an oblate spheroid weight (object), weight called a discus in an attempt to mark a further distance than other competitors. It is a ...

er for the

Iowa Hawkeyes track and field Iowa ( ) is a state in the upper Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the east and southeast, Misso ...

team, finishing third in the hammer throw at the 1926 NCAA Track and Field Championships.

Head coaching record

References

External links

* 1906 births 1998 deaths American football tackles American male discus throwers American male hammer throwers Iowa Hawkeyes football coaches Iowa Hawkeyes football players Iowa Hawkeyes men's track and field athletes LSU Tigers football coaches Mississippi State Bulldogs football coaches Saint Mary's Pre-Flight Air Devils football coaches Yale Bulldogs football coaches United States Navy personnel of World War II United States Navy officers People from Cherokee, Iowa Coaches of American football from Iowa Players of American football from Iowa Track and field athletes from Iowa Military personnel from Iowa {{1930s-collegefootball-coach-stub