[Biography of Fred McCain] Page: 2 of 2
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Head Coach Corky Nelson
Corky Nelson enters his fifth season as the head foot-
ball coach at North Texas State University. The 1983
Southland Conference Coach-of-the-Year will open the
1986 campaign with an overall mark of 16-28-1.
The 47-year-old Nelson was one of the most honored
coaches in the nation in 1983. Nelson was named the
Southland Conference Coach of the Year, the Region
Five Coach of the Year and one of five finalists for the
national I-AA Coach of the Year honor.
The rewards appeared because of a 1983 season that
saw North Texas State University produce one of the
biggest turnarounds in the country at any level of
NCAA collegiate football.
Under Nelson's direction, the Eagles went from 2-9 in
1982 to 8-4 and the Southland Conference champion-
ship in 1983. The Eagles reached the quarterfinal round
of the Division I-AA playoffs and finished fourth in the
nation in the final poll.
The 1983 season resulted in North Texas State's first
post season appearance since 1959 and the Southland
Conference championship showdown with Northeast
Louisiana was the first regional television appearance
for the Eagles in more than a decade. The championship
season also helped spotlight the Eagles on four region-
ally televised games in 1984.
Nelson became the Eagles 12th head football coach
when he was named to the post July 1, 1982. The job
was Nelson's first collegiate head coaching position and
it gave him the opportunity to return to the Denton,
Texas, school where he served as an assistant coach dur-
ing the 1969-70 seasons.
Although NTSU was Nelson's first head collegiate
assignment, his coaching background is nevertheless
one of success. He came to NTSU after serving as thedefensive coordinator at Baylor with Grant Teaff. Dur-
ing his eight-year stint at Waco, the Bears won two
Southwest Conference championships, played in two
Cotton Bowl Classics (1975 and 1981) and one Peach
Bowl game (1979).
Prior to joining the Baylor staff, Nelson enjoyed
three outstanding seasons as the head coach at John
Tyler High School in Tyler, Texas. His squad there, led
by future Heisman Trophy winner and all-pro running
back Earl Campbell, won the 1973 Class 4A state cham-
pionship.
Nelson's other coaching credits include a four-year
stint (1965-69) as assistant football coach and head
track coach at Alamo Heights High School in San An-
tonio.
Nelson was born February 25, 1939. He graduated
from Thomas Jefferson High School in San Antonio in
1957 and earned both his B.A. and M.Ed. degrees from
Southwest Texas State in 1964. He was a three-time let-
terman in football at Jefferson and captained the squad
as a senior. He played center and linebacker at
Southwest Texas State and received all-Lone Star Con-
ference honors in 1962. He also captained the Bobcats
as a senior in 1963.I
5
Nelson's Record at NTSU
1982--2-9
1983 - 8-4 (SLC Coach of the Year)
1984 -2-9
1985 -4-6-1
Totals 16-28-1
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[Biography of Fred McCain], text, 1987; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1310046/m1/2/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.