Gary Nelson ’71
Owner, Nelson Insurance Agency
DeSoto, Iowa
Nelson was a four-time football letterwinner who started every game as a freshman, sophomore, and senior. He was named an All-American following his sophomore season, earned two first team all-district honors in NAIA District 15, and was a two-time all-Iowa Conference first team selection. He played on the 1968 Iowa Conference championship squad and ended his four-year career with 3,294 yards and 11 touchdowns. Nelson’s school records for total offense in a game, season, and career stood until the early 1990s. He completed a master’s degree in 1972 at South Dakota State University. As a high school football coach, he compiled a 54-13 record at Nashua and Adel-DeSoto, where his teams earned three state playoff berths in 10 seasons. He now owns Nelson Insurance Agency in DeSoto.