Tom Nelson (American football)
Encyclopedia
Tom Nelson is an American football
safety who is currently a free agent
. He was signed by the Cincinnati Bengals
as an undrafted free agent in 2009. He played college football
at Illinois State.
and attended John Hersey High School
, Thomas Middle School
, and Ivy Hill Elementary School in Arlington Heights, IL.
, Nelson was signed by the Cincinnati Bengals
as an undrafted free agent on April 30, 2009. His attempt to make the Bengals' roster was chronicled on the HBO
series
Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Cincinnati Bengals. In his rookie season he had 25 tackles and an interception. He was waived on August 27, 2011.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
safety who is currently a free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
. He was signed by the Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
as an undrafted free agent in 2009. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Illinois State.
Early years
Nelson grew up in Arlington Heights, IllinoisArlington Heights, Illinois
Arlington Heights is a village in Cook and Lake counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. A suburb of Chicago, it lies about 25 miles northwest of the city's downtown. The population was 75,101 at the 2010 census....
and attended John Hersey High School
John Hersey High School
John Hersey High School, , is a four-year public high school located in Arlington Heights, Illinois, a northwest suburb of Chicago, Illinois in the United States, it has its students from Arlington Heights and also takes some students from Prospect Heights, Mount Prospect and a small part of Des...
, Thomas Middle School
Thomas Middle School
Thomas Middle School , formerly known as Arlington North Middle School until 1997, is a sixth through eighth grade middle school located in Arlington Heights, Illinois, USA. It is part of School District 25.-Feeder pattern:...
, and Ivy Hill Elementary School in Arlington Heights, IL.
Cincinnati Bengals
After going undrafted in the 2009 NFL Draft2009 NFL Draft
The 2009 NFL Draft was the seventy-fourth annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 25 and 26, 2009. The draft consisted of two rounds on the first day starting at 4:00...
, Nelson was signed by the Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
as an undrafted free agent on April 30, 2009. His attempt to make the Bengals' roster was chronicled on the HBO
Home Box Office
HBO, short for Home Box Office, is an American premium cable television network, owned by Time Warner. , HBO's programming reaches 28.2 million subscribers in the United States, making it the second largest premium network in America . In addition to its U.S...
series
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Cincinnati Bengals. In his rookie season he had 25 tackles and an interception. He was waived on August 27, 2011.