Reggie Nelson
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Jacksonville Jaguars — No. 25 | |
| Safety | |
| Date of birth: September 21, 1983 | |
| Place of birth: Melbourne, Florida | |
| Height: 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | Weight: 198 lb (90 kg) |
| National Football League debut | |
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| 2007 for the Jacksonville Jaguars | |
| Career history | |
| College: Florida | |
| NFL Draft: 2007 / Round: 1 / Pick: 21 | |
Teams:
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| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Stats at NFL.com | |
Reggie Nelson a.k.a. "The Eraser," (born September 21, 1983) is an American football player with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He played college football for the Florida Gators, where he was a first team All-American free safety. He was drafted by the Jaguars with the 21st overall pick of the 2007 NFL Draft.
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[edit] College career
Reggie graduated from Palm Bay High School in 2003. Reggie was a two-time First-Team All-State honoree in 2002 and 2003. He also helped lead Palm Bay to the Class 4A State Championship in 2002. [1]After attending Palm Bay High School in Melbourne, FL, Nelson and teammate Joe Cohen chose to attend University of Florida over rival Florida State. He ended up redshirting a year at Coffeyville Junior College first, then earned his degree and transferred to Florida as a sophomore.
He was an immediate starter for the Gators at free safety in the 2005 season. Nelson started against Georgia, Vanderbilt, South Carolina, and Florida State. Nelson registered 46 tackles, second-team with four tackles, and forced a fumble. Against Georgia, Nelson recorded a career-high seven tackles. Also totaled seven tackles against Vanderbilt and FSU.
In his junior year, which would end up being his last as a Gator, Nelson was selected as a member of the Leadership Committee, which was only a small highlight of his 2006 campaign. The Gators ended up going to the National Championship and won it against Ohio State, while Nelson recorded 51 tackles,5 pass breakups and six interceptions. Two interceptions were against Tennessee, and the other was returned for a 70-yard touchdown against Alabama. Nelson also recovered a fumble against Alabama.
In 2006 he was part a defense that helped the Gators win their first SEC title in six years and their first National Championship in ten years. At a home basketball game the night after the Championship win, Reggie received a standing ovation while the audience chanted his name and then "One More Year".[1]
[edit] NFL career
Nelson was selected by the Jaguars in the first round (21st overall) of the 2007 NFL Draft. After the departure of free safety Deon Grant via free agency and release of strong safety Donovin Darius, Nelson lead the Jaguars with seven tackles in their season opener against the Tennessee Titans in his first NFL game. He also sacked Tennessee quarterback Vince Young, causing a forced fumble.
He ended the year with 63 tackles, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble and 5 interceptions. His 5 interceptions total is tied with Leon Hall for most among rookies during the 2007 NFL season.
[edit] Personal Notes
Reggie's sister, Lynisha, is a star basketball player for Florida Tech.
Reggie's mother, Mary Lakes, who had breast cancer for several years, died on December 22nd, 2006, a week before the national championship game. Members of each team participating in the game are required to talk to the media during the day leading up to the game. The NCAA let Nelson skip these meetings due to her death. [2]
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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