Charles E. "Coach" Nelson

Published in the Austin American-Statesman on 6/19/2008.

Charles Edward (Coach) Nelson Charles E. "Coach" Nelson passed away on Tuesday, June 17, 2008. A mass of Christian burial will be held Friday June 20, 2008 at 10:00 a.m. at St. Helen Catholic church. He was preceded in death by his parents, Norborne and Ruby Nelson, one brother, two sisters, and one grandson, Clay Madsen, of Round Rock, Texas. Coach Nelson was a direct descendent of Thomas Nelson, Jr., Signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Charles was born in Jacksonville, Texas, on June 14, 1926. He was raised in East Texas where he graduated from Huntsville High School in 1944. He was a star athlete in high school where he played football, basketball, and ran track. He was highly recruited out of high school and he later played football and baseball at Rice Institute. He was a member of the "R" Association at Rice.

After graduation from Rice in 1951, he played two years of minor league baseball. In 1944, Coach Nelson joined the Army Air Corps and served in the Pacific during World War II. He was discharged with the rank of Sergeant in 1946.

Coach began his coaching career in 1951 at Zavalla High School. He also coached at Tenaha, Beeville, Port Lavaca, and Alice, Texas. He was appointed Head Football Coach at Round Rock High School in 1961 where he coached football, basketball and baseball.

He started the now successful baseball program at Round Rock High School. From 1970 to 1980, Coach was a school administrator at Region One Education Service Center in the Rio Grande Valley. While at Region One, he completed a Masters Degree from Pan American University. In the 1980s, he returned to coaching tennis at Westwood High School where he had many championship teams.

Upon retirement from public schools, he served at Men and Women's Tennis Coach at Southwestern University until retirement in 1997. Coach was very proud of the Nelson Tennis Foundation Scholarship established in Georgetown in 1999. The Foundation awards scholarships to outstanding college bound tennis players at Georgetown High School.

He is survived by his high school sweetheart and wife of 62 years, Jane Nelson of Georgetown; two daughters, Charlotte Curtis and husband Chet Curtis of Lake Tahoe, Nevada, Nancy Madsen and husband Larry Madsen of Round Rock, Texas; son, John Nelson and wife Janelle Nelson of Greenville, South Carolina. Grandchildren are Jayme Madsen Massingill and husband T. J. Massingill and Sarah Madsen Cox and husband Ryan Cox of Round Rock, Tracy Nelson Breazeale and husband Chris Breazeale of Greenville, SC, Stacy Nelson also of Greenville, SC, and Michael Curtis, of Reno, Nevada; three great-grandchildren, Faith and Riley Cox and Keegan Massingill.

A visitation will be held on Thursday, June 19, 2008 from 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. at The Gabriels Funeral Chapel. Memorials may be made to the Nelson Tennis Scholarship Foundation, P. O. Box 2693, Georgetown, Texas 78627.

Those who wish to send the family private condolences may do so at www.gabrielsfuneral.com.