Mark Nelson (born July 25, 1956)[1] is a gridiron football coach and a former professional Canadian football linebacker. He is the special teams coordinator and linebackers coach for the Saint Mary's Huskies of U Sports. He played for seven seasons in the Canadian Football League (CFL) for the Calgary Stampeders and Saskatchewan Roughriders. He is a three-time Grey Cup champion having won as a coach in 1993, 1996 and 2016.
| Saint Mary's Huskies | |
 Nelson with the Argonauts in 2021 | |
| Born: | July 25, 1956 Edmonton, Alberta, Canada |
|---|---|
| Career information | |
| CFL status | National |
| Position(s) | Special teams coordinator Linebackers coach |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) |
| Weight | 220 lb (100 kg) |
| College | East Central Oklahoma State |
| CFL draft | 1980, round: Terr. Exemption |
| Drafted by | Calgary Stampeders |
| Career history | |
| As coach | |
| 1992 | Edmonton Eskimos (ST coach/LB coach) |
| 1993–1994 | Edmonton Eskimos (ST coach/RB coach) |
| 1995 | San Antonio Texans (LB coach) |
| 1996 | Toronto Argonauts (DL coach) |
| 1997–1999 | Valdosta State Blazers (DC/LB coach) |
| 2000 | Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys (DC/DB coach) |
| 2001 | Kentucky Wildcats (ST coach/TE coach) |
| 2002 | Kentucky Wildcats (ST coach/DL coach) |
| 2003 | Baylor Bears (ST coach/DL coach) |
| 2004–2005 | Baylor Bears (ST coach/LB coach) |
| 2006 | Tulsa Golden Hurricane (ST coach/DL coach) |
| 2007 | Louisville Cardinals (ST coach/DL coach) |
| 2008 | Louisville Cardinals (ST coach) |
| 2009 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers (DC/LB coach) |
| 2010–2011 | Edmonton Eskimos (LB coach) |
| 2012 | Edmonton Eskimos (DC/LB coach) |
| 2013 | Montreal Alouettes (LB coach) |
| 2014–2017 | Ottawa Redblacks (DC/LB coach) |
| 2018–2019 | Ottawa Redblacks (LB coach) |
| 2020–2021 | Toronto Argonauts (STC) |
| 2022 | Carleton Ravens (STC/LB coach) |
| 2023–present | Saint Mary's Huskies (STC/LB coach) |
| As player | |
| 1980–1985 | Calgary Stampeders |
| 1986 | Saskatchewan Roughriders |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Playing career
editNelson played college football for the East Central Oklahoma State Tigers. Nelson was drafted in the 1980 CFL draft by the Calgary Stampeders where he played for seven years before retiring with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 1987. Nelson played linebacker and fullback during his CFL run.[2]
Coaching career
editNelson has coached for 16 different teams. More recently, on December 20, 2013, he was named the Ottawa Redblacks' defensive coordinator.[3] In 2018, he was demoted from defensive coordinator for the Redblacks to their linebackers coach.[4]
On February 6, 2020, it was announced that Nelson had joined the Toronto Argonauts as the team's special teams coordinator.[5] The league did not play in 2020, so he coached for one season with the Argonauts in 2021. He was not retained by the team for the 2022 season.[6]
On June 23, 2022, it was announced that Nelson had joined the Carleton Ravens to serve as the team's special teams coordinator and linebackers coach.[7] After one season with the Ravens, he joined the Saint Mary's Huskies coaching staff as the team's special teams coordinator and linebackers coach.[8]
Personal life
editNelson's father, Roger is on the Edmonton Eskimo's Wall of Honour and was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.[2] His son, Kyle was a long snapper for the San Francisco 49ers.
References
edit- ^ "N".
- ^ a b Davidson, Neil (November 26, 2015). "RedBlacks' defensive coach Mark Nelson knows old-school football". The Globe and Mail. The Globe and Mail. Retrieved August 11, 2018.
- ^ "Gibson among 8 coaching hires in Ottawa". Canadian Football League. December 20, 2013.
- ^ "From Redblacks defensive co-ordinator to linebackers coach, Mark Nelson puts team first". Ottawa Sun. Ottawa Sun. Retrieved August 11, 2018.
- ^ "Argos announce 2020 coaching staff". Toronto Argonauts. February 6, 2020.
- ^ "Argos announce 2022 coaching staff". Toronto Argonauts. January 19, 2022.
- ^ "Ravens Name New Coordinators". Carleton Ravens. June 23, 2022.
- ^ "Saint Mary's Huskies hire long-time CFL assistant coach Mark Nelson, former Argos DB Jermaine Gabriel". 3DownNation. April 15, 2023.