Athletics success at Illinois State is broad-based. With 19 intercollegiate sports, the Redbird program constitutes one of the largest in the Midwest. With 142 league titles since 1982, it also represents one of the most successful. Read More [+]
By winning the 2010 Valley All-Sports Trophy, the Redbirds have finished in the top-five of the Valley's All-Sports race for 28-straight years and have won the award in two of the last three seasons. Read More [+]
Red Alert is one of the largest student organizations on campus and is aimed at increasing pride, spirit, tradition, excitement, and energy at all Illinois State athletic events. Red Alert is what gives the Redbirds a home court or home field advantage! Join Red Alert Today
The game will be the first between the two schools in history.
2011: Played in six games at cornerback ... finished the season with 15 tackles, 11 of which were solo stops, two pass breakups and a tackle-for-loss ... made first career start in the season opener at Eastern Illinois and finished with a career-high six tackles ... had five tackles the following week aginst Morehead State ... suffered a season-ending knee injury against Missouri State.
2010: Redshirted.
Hersey HS: Two-year letterwinner ...missed his senior season due to a torn ACL ... played quarterback during junior season and accounted for 16 total touchdowns ... passed for 1,243 yards and rushed for 653 yards ... also kicked field goal and extra points and returned punts ... named a first-team all-conference selection and an all-area honorable mention selection ... named team's most valuable player and broke the school single-season record for completions ... returned a punt for a touchdown as a sophomore ... started in the playoffs as a sophomore for the Hersey basketball team.
Data: Born Nov. 5, 1991, in Arlington Heights, Ill. ... son of Tom and Cheryl Nelson ... one of four children ... his brother, Tom, was a four-year letterwinner at Illinois State (2005-08) and currently plays for the Cincinnati Bengals ... intended major is business.