Carl Nery

{{Short description|American football player (1917–2007)}}

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

{{Infobox NFL player

| name = Carl Nery

| number = 40

| position = Guard

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1917|6|17|mf=y}}

| birth_place = Lawrenceville, Pennsylvania, U.S.

| death_date = {{death date and age|2007|3|9|1917|6|17}}

| death_place = Scott Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, U.S.

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 0

| weight_lb = 214

| high_school = Springdale

| college = Duquesne

| draftyear = 1940

| draftround = 8

| draftpick = 62

| pastteams =

• Pittsburgh Steelers ({{NFL Year|1940|1941}})

| highlights =

• Third-team All-American (1939)
• Second-team All-Eastern (1939)

| statlabel1 = Games played

| statvalue1 = 22

| statlabel2 = Games started

| statvalue2 = 4

| pfr = NeryCa20

}}

Carl Nicholas Nery (June 17, 1917 – March 9, 2007) was an American football player.

Nery was born in Lawrenceville, Pennsylvania, in 1917, and attended Springdale High School.{{cite web|title=Pro Football Archives|accessdate=June 21, 2022|url=https://www.profootballarchives.com/playern/nery00200.html}} He played college football for the Duquesne Dukes football team from 1938 to 1940. In December 1939, the sports editor of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette rated him as the most valuable player in the country, pointing to his versatility

He is almost equally at home in the backfield or in the line. . . . Anyone who can shuttle from fullback, to end, to a tackle, and then to guard, and leave nothing whatever to be desired in handling any of these varied assignments, obviously must rank high in the national picture . . . "{{cite news|title=The Most Valuable|newspaper=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|date=December 2, 1939|page=12|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/104235816/carl-nery/|via=Newspapers.com}}

He was selected by the Central Press Association as a third-team guard on the 1939 College Football All-America Team.{{cite news|author=Walter Johns|title=South Dominates Captains' All-American|work=Wisconsin State Journal|date=1939-12-10}} He was also selected to play on the Eastern College All-Star team in the Fresh Air Fund game in September 1940.{{cite news|title=Duquesne Ace On All-Stars: Carl Nery, Triple Threat Player To Play With Collegians|newspaper=The Morning Call|date=August 9, 1940|page=25|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/104235108/duquesne-ace-on-all-stars-carl-nery/|via=Newspapers.com}}

Nery was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers with the 62nd pick in the 1940 NFL draft and played for the Steelers during the 1940 and 1941 NFL seasons.{{Cite web |title=1940 NFL Draft Listing |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1940/draft.htm |access-date=2023-03-30 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}{{cite web|title=Carl Nery|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|work=Pro-Football-Reference.com|access-date=February 3, 2015|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/N/NeryCa20.htm}} He appeared in 21 games for the Steelers. He was paid $125 per game by the Steelers during the 1940 season and supplemented his income with construction jobs in the off-season. He was drafted into military service in August 1942.{{cite news|title=Life in the NFL just isn't the same|author=Steve Nery|date=July 26, 2006|newspaper=The Star Democrat|url=http://www.stardem.com/news/article_c271d18a-e912-5688-a8c2-4d45a8ec1a55.html}}

Nery died in 2007 in Scott, Pennsylvania.