Mark Nelson (Canadian football)

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.

Mark Nelson
Saint Mary's Huskies
Nelson with the Argonauts in 2021
Born: (1956-07-25) July 25, 1956 (age 68)
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Career information
CFL statusNational
Position(s)Special teams coordinator
Linebackers coach
Height6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight220 lb (100 kg)
CollegeEast Central Oklahoma State
CFL draft1980, round: Terr. Exemption
Drafted byCalgary Stampeders
Career history
As coach
1992Edmonton Eskimos (ST coach/LB coach)
19931994Edmonton Eskimos (ST coach/RB coach)
1995San Antonio Texans (LB coach)
1996Toronto Argonauts (DL coach)
1997–1999Valdosta State Blazers (DC/LB coach)
2000Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys (DC/DB coach)
2001Kentucky Wildcats (ST coach/TE coach)
2002Kentucky Wildcats (ST coach/DL coach)
2003Baylor Bears (ST coach/DL coach)
2004–2005Baylor Bears (ST coach/LB coach)
2006Tulsa Golden Hurricane (ST coach/DL coach)
2007Louisville Cardinals (ST coach/DL coach)
2008Louisville Cardinals (ST coach)
2009Winnipeg Blue Bombers (DC/LB coach)
20102011Edmonton Eskimos (LB coach)
2012Edmonton Eskimos (DC/LB coach)
2013Montreal Alouettes (LB coach)
20142017Ottawa Redblacks (DC/LB coach)
20182019Ottawa Redblacks (LB coach)
20202021Toronto Argonauts (STC)
2022Carleton Ravens (STC/LB coach)
2023–presentSaint Mary's Huskies (STC/LB coach)
As player
19801985Calgary Stampeders
1986Saskatchewan Roughriders
Career highlights and awards

Playing career

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Nelson 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 7 years before retiring with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 1987. Nelson played linebacker and fullback during his CFL run.[2]

Coaching career

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Nelson 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

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Nelson'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

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  1. ^ "N".
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ "Gibson among 8 coaching hires in Ottawa". Canadian Football League. December 20, 2013.
  4. ^ "From Redblacks defensive co-ordinator to linebackers coach, Mark Nelson puts team first". Ottawa Sun. Ottawa Sun. Retrieved August 11, 2018.
  5. ^ "Argos announce 2020 coaching staff". Toronto Argonauts. February 6, 2020.
  6. ^ "Argos announce 2022 coaching staff". Toronto Argonauts. January 19, 2022.
  7. ^ "Ravens Name New Coordinators". Carleton Ravens. June 23, 2022.
  8. ^ "Saint Mary's Huskies hire long-time CFL assistant coach Mark Nelson, former Argos DB Jermaine Gabriel". 3DownNation. April 15, 2023.
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