David M. Nelson, University of Delaware
Football Coach, Athletic Director – 1951-1990
As the University of Delaware’s head football coach from 1951-1965, David Nelson put the Blue Hens in the national spotlight and established a tradition of excellence. He posted a career record of 84-42-2, with a 26-15 mark in MAC play, captured the 1963 Small College Wire Service National Title, won three Middle Atlantic Conference championships (1959,1962,1963), and three Lambert Cup titles during his tenure. Nelson was recognized in 1963 as the Washington Touchdown Club College Division National Coach of the Year. Nelson also served as Delaware’s Director of Athletics from 1951 until 1984, and then ended his career as the Dean of the college of Physical Education. A member of the Delaware Sports and College Football Hall of Fame, Nelson is remembered as the father of the “Wing-T” offense and as the foremost authority on college football rules in the country. He received the Distinguished American Award from the National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame in 1984. Nelson was inducted into the Blue Hens’ Hall of Fame in 1997.
David Nelson's Delaware Hall of Fame Page