Al Nelson

{{Short description|American football player (born 1943)}}

{{for|the sound engineer|Al Nelson (sound engineer)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}}

{{multiple issues|

{{BLP sources|date=October 2011}}

{{More footnotes needed|date=October 2011}}

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{{Infobox NFL biography

| name = Al Nelson

| image =

| caption =

| position = Cornerback

| number = 26

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1943|10|27}}

| birth_place = Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.

| death_date =

| death_place =

| height_ft = 5

| height_in = 11

| weight_lbs = 186

| college = Cincinnati

| draftyear = 1965

| draftround = 3

| draftpick = 35

| afldraftyear = 1965

| afldraftround = 9

| afldraftpick = 72
(By the Buffalo Bills)

| pastteams =

• Philadelphia Eagles ({{NFL Year|1965}}–{{NFL Year|1973}})

| highlights =

| statlabel1 = Games played

| statvalue1 = 105

| statlabel2 = Games started

| statvalue2 = 27

| statlabel3 = Interceptions

| statvalue3 = 19

| pfr = NelsAl20

}}

Albert Nelson (born October 27, 1943) is an American former professional football cornerback in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons for the Philadelphia Eagles. He played college football at the University of Cincinnati and was selected in the third round of the 1965 NFL draft. Nelson was also selected in the ninth round of the 1965 AFL draft by the Buffalo Bills.

On September 26, 1971, in the first Eagles game at the newly opened Veterans Stadium, Nelson scored a fourth quarter touchdown on a then-record 102-yard return of a missed field goal by Dallas Cowboys kicker Mike Clark. It was the Eagles' only score of the contest in a lopsided 42–7 loss.{{cite web|title=Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles – September 26, 1971|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197109260phi.htm|work=Pro-Football-Reference.com|accessdate=January 15, 2019}} The previous holder of the record was his coach at the time Jerry Williams. In the previous off-season, the league had allowed missed field goals kicked into the end zone to be returned. Nelson also returned a missed Lou Groza field goal attempt and ran it back for a 100-yard TD in a game against the Cleveland Browns on December 11, 1966 at Franklin Field in Philadelphia

He is also a member of the Beta Eta chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity.