No. 59 | |||||||||
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Position: | Linebacker | ||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||
Born: | Mathis, Texas, U.S. | May 25, 1955||||||||
Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||
Weight: | 226 lb (103 kg) | ||||||||
Career information | |||||||||
College: | Baylor | ||||||||
Undrafted: | 1977 | ||||||||
Career history | |||||||||
Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Shane Nelson (born May 25, 1955) is a former professional American football player who played linebacker for six seasons for the Buffalo Bills.
Nelson attended Mathis High School, excelling as a 5'11, 180-pound running back. He had been courted by Texas Tech University before they decided to pass on offering him a scholarship because of his size. He then tried to compete for a scholarship at Blinn Junior College, earning one with him switching to linebacker. Two years later, Baylor University offered him a scholarship.
He is also a member of the NJCAA Hall of Fame.
At 220 pounds and 6'1, Nelson was left undefeated. He was discovered at an open trial held by the Dallas Cowboys. He was the only player, out of 1,800, to be offered an NFL contract. However, Nelson rejected Dallas' offer and signed for the Bills where he felt he had more of a chance of playing. He made the 1977 roster as a longshot and eventually was named a defensive captain. [1]
In a seven year career, he was voted most valuable defensive player by fan groups three times. The arrival of Chuck Knox led to better days for the Bills. Alongside nose tackle Fred Smerlas and linebacker Jim Haslett, Nelson formed part of what was known for a time as the "Bermuda Triangle", which won 11 games in 1980. During a game against Cleveland in the 1981 season, he suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. In the September 12 game of the 1982 season, Nelson tore that same ACL that would see him spend years in recovery. In February of 1985, he signed with the San Diego Chargers. He suffered a ruptured left Achilles tendon in the final preseason game that saw him miss the entire 1985 season. In training camp of the following preseason, he was cut on August 26. He retired soon after. [2] [3] [4]
Nelson dealt with addictions to drugs during and after his career that saw him get sober in 1988. In 1990, he was diagnosed with testicular cancer and had his right testicle removed. [5]
Dat Tan Nguyen is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for seven seasons with the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Texas A&M Aggies, earning unanimous All-American honors. He is the first Vietnamese-American to be drafted, play, and be recognized as an All-Pro in the NFL.
James Donald Haslett is an American football coach and former linebacker who was most recently the head coach of the Seattle Sea Dragons of the XFL. He played college football for the IUP Crimson Hawks before being drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the second round of the 1979 NFL draft; he went on to be named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.
David Wannstedt is a former American football coach. He has been the head coach of the Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He was also the head coach of the University of Pittsburgh football team from 2005 to 2010. He also was a long-time assistant to Jimmy Johnson with the Dallas Cowboys, Miami Hurricanes, and Oklahoma State Cowboys as well as an associate of Johnson when both were assistants at the University of Pittsburgh.
Robert Vinson Smith, is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the East Carolina Pirates. Smith played in the NFL for the Atlanta Falcons, Pittsburgh Steelers, Dallas Cowboys, Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints. He won Super Bowl XXVII with Dallas over the Buffalo Bills.
Michael Anthony Jones is an American football coach and former player who played professionally as a linebacker for 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played in the NFL from 1991 to 2002 with his longest tenure as player with the Oakland Raiders. He also played for the Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders, the St. Louis Rams, and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Jones is best known for making the game-saving tackle in Super Bowl XXXIV.
Charles Robert Knox was an American football coach at the high school, collegiate and professional levels. He served as head coach of three National Football League (NFL) teams, the Los Angeles Rams, Buffalo Bills (1978–1982), and Seattle Seahawks (1983–1991). He was a three-time AP NFL Coach of the Year and is a member of the Seahawks Ring of Honor.
Bernard Eric Green is an American former professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the 1990 NFL draft. Green was a two-time Pro Bowl selection for the Steelers in 1993 and 1994.
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Kevin Craig Brooks is an American former professional football player who was a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions. He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines. He was selected by the Cowboys in the first round of the 1985 NFL draft.
Akeem Raphael Jordan is an American former professional football linebacker. He was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 2007. He also played for the Kansas City Chiefs, Washington Redskins, and Toronto Argonauts. He played college football at James Madison University.
William Neal Saul was an American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Baltimore Colts, Pittsburgh Steelers, New Orleans Saints, and Detroit Lions. He played college football at Penn State University. Saul was the first player to be outfitted with a wireless microphone worn during an NFL game by Jack Newman of NFL Films, the league's in-house filmmaking division.
George Eldon Andrews, II is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He is a graduate of the University of Nebraska who played in the National Football League (NFL) from 1979 to 1984 for the Los Angeles Rams.
Christopher DeVonte Holloman is an American former professional football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys. He attended the University of South Carolina (2009–2012). He was selected by the Cowboys in the sixth round of the 2013 NFL draft. He played college football at the University of South Carolina.
Jesse Andrew Penn II is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Virginia Tech Hokies. and was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 1985 NFL draft.
Marvin Dale Jones is an American football coach and former player. He was most recently the defensive coordinator for Appalachian State. He served in various capacities for Appalachian State (1996–2022), including three years as defensive coordinator (2010–2012). Jones previously worked as a defensive coordinator for Georgia Military College (1992–1996) and the Parma Panthers (1990) of the Italian Football League (IFL).
Michael Alan Sam Jr. is an American former professional football defensive lineman who is a coach for the Panthers Wrocław in the European League of Football (ELF). Sam played college football for the Missouri Tigers and was selected by the St. Louis Rams of the National Football League (NFL) in the seventh round of the 2014 NFL draft. He played one game for the Montreal Alouettes in the Canadian Football League (CFL).
Micah Aaron Parsons is an American professional football linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). Parsons played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions, where he was named a consensus All-American, Big Ten Linebacker of the Year and the Cotton Bowl Defensive MVP as a sophomore in 2019. He was selected by the Cowboys in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft, and was named the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Neal Dellocono is an American former professional football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Oilers. He played college football at UCLA.