Mark Nelson (Canadian football)


Mark Nelson is a former professional Canadian football linebacker who is currently the special teams coordinator for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League. He played for seven seasons in the Canadian Football League for the Calgary Stampeders and Saskatchewan Roughriders. He is a three-time Grey Cup champion having won as a coach in 1993, 1996 and 2016.

Playing career

Nelson played college football for the East Central Oklahoma State Tigers. Nelson was drafted in the 1980 CFL Draft by the Calgary Stampeders where he played for 7 years before retiring with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 1987. Nelson played linebacker and fullback during his CFL run.

Coaching career

Nelson has coached for 16 different teams. More recently, on December 20, 2013, he was named the Ottawa Redblacks' defensive coordinator. In 2018, he was demoted from defensive coordinator for the Redblacks to their linebackers coach.
On February 6, 2020, it was announced that Nelson had joined the Toronto Argonauts as the team's special teams coordinator.

Personal life

Nelson's father, Roger is on the Edmonton Eskimo's Wall of Honour and was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame. His son, Kyle was a long snapper for the San Francisco 49ers.