Steven Lee Nelson (born April 26, 1951) 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 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 typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

for the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

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

Curry College Curry College is a private college in Milton, Massachusetts, United States. 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 ...

Milton, Massachusetts Milton is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Milton is an immediate southern suburb of Boston, Massachusetts. The population was 28,630 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Milton is located in the relatively hilly ...

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 opened in 1904. Classes initially took place ...

, 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 United States Census, 2010 census. Anoka is the "Halloween Capital of the World" because it hosted one of the first Hal ...

, 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 university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Fargo, North Dakota, United States. It was ...

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 Pittsburgh Steelers to have had t ...

. He was selected to the

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

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 Super Bowl XX was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Chicago Bears and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for ...

versus the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

. 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. He currently resides in Middleboro, MA with his wife Angela and his five daughters, Cameron, Caitlin, Casey, Kelli, and Grace.

Head coaching record

References

External links

North Dakota State Bison bio

New England Patriots bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nelson, Steve 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 Sportspeople from Anoka, Minnesota People from Farmington, Minnesota Sportspeople from Dakota County, Minnesota Coaches of American football from Minnesota Players of American football from Minnesota NFL players with retired numbers

Head coaching record

See also

References

External links