« Reply #21 on: Today at 09:18:14 AM »

As a senior in 1980, Nelson had one of the finest seasons of any former walk-on. He was a team captain, the Big Eight Defensive Player of the Year, first team All-American, and a finalist for the Lombardi Award. The 1980 defense may have been the best of Tom Osborneās career. Nelson and crew held opponents to just 9.2 points per game (the lowest of the Osborne era) and recorded three shutouts.
Nelson was a fourth-round pick of the Dallas Cowboys and eventually became a special teams standout for San Diego. In 1998, Derrie Nelson was inducted into the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame.
Not too shabby for a walk-on from Fairmont.


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"Courage; Generosity; Fairness; Honor; In these are the true awards of manly sport."