Coach Nelson hangs up his hat

ODESSA - Head football coach Jeff Nelson has officially hung up his hat, as was announced at the regular school board meeting Wednesday, Jan. 25.

His passion for football produced seven state championships in Odessa.

"Football is not just a three or four-month thing for me," Nelson said. "It is something that is a year-round hobby. Someone else might call it an obsession."

Nelson's first coaching experience was in 1989 as a volunteer assistant at Garfield-Palouse.

The following year Nelson was an assistant coach at LaCrosse-Washtucna until 1993 when he took the head coach position at LW from 1994-2012. Then in 2013, he coached the fifth and sixth-grade teams at LW.

Nelson came to Odessa in 2014, took the assistant coach position and moved to head coach the following year until this past 2022-23 season.

He has won 14 state championships and made the state playoffs 21 times.

Nelson held a record of 49 straight wins. However, Royal City has recently beaten the record.

"I don't know how many wins I have," Nelson said. "But I've had 50 losses or somewhere in that area."

Nelson said he has been fortunate to have coached many talented players over his extensive career.

"I coached great teams because of the caliber of players," He said. "Great assistant coaches, fantastic parents and community members who supported our team."

Coach Nelson says the moments worth remembering are the "funny" or "goofy" things players did.

"One time during practice when I was getting really mad," he said, "Camden Weber broke the tension by imitating me and he was spot on."

He said the moment made him step back and laugh at himself.

Another moment shared was when the school bus broke down in the middle of nowhere at midnight and the nearest ranch looked like the "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" house.

Some of the personal highlights of his career include hearing his son Jett announced at the Tacoma Dome during a championship game, walking into the Tacoma Dome coaching his first championship and seeing his daughter, Grace, on the sidelines at four days old.

Another highlight for Nelson is when players step up to meet expectations.

"Watching teams play nearly perfect when it counted the most," he said.

Athletic Director Larry Weber called Nelson's commitment unmatched.

"Jeff's success as an 8-man football coach stretches over three decades," Weber said. "His commitment to preparing his players to compete at the highest level is unparalleled."

Nelson has had an awe-inspiring 34-year collective career and helped improve the lives of the students he coached on the field. A good coach can genuinely be the difference in building a student's confidence and self-image; that is precisely what Nelson has accomplished in his years of service dedicated to coaching.

In 2019 Coach Nelson was inducted into the Washington State Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

"His Hall of Fame career reflects consistency and attention to the details," Weber said.

Weber said Nelson's love for football was evident by the time and passion he put into coaching his players.

"No doubt, he positively impacted numerous young men during his tenure," Weber said.

Nelson and his team have displayed good sportsmanship throughout his career, resulting in successful seasons year after year.

Coach Nelson says he will miss being on the field and has yet to learn what it is like to not be busy from 3 to 6:30 p.m. all fall.

"I am going to miss coaching," Nelson said. "More than I think I will."

The decision to resign was due to Nelson feeling like he couldn't physically coach the way he wanted.

"Physically, I am not able to continue to coach the way I feel is necessary," he said. "Now is a good time to step down because next year's team at Odessa should be very good."

Nelson said one takeaway from his long-standing career is the kids are the same as they were 34 years ago.

"They are good, hard-working kids that gave everything they had in practice and games," he said."I will miss the camaraderie and the Friday Night Lights that only football can provide."