6’6”, 275, numbers like these make opposing players fear for their very existences. These are Adrian Nelson’s measurements. A Post Graduate for football and basketball, it is true Nelson is a behemoth of a man, but in the words of soccer player John Tarson ’05 “Adrian is a gentle giant.” A native of New Carrollton, Maryland, Nelson graduated from Dematha High School (pronounced DEMATHA! By those who know it as Nelson does), which had the 14th best football team in the country and won the Maryland State Championship in 2003. A clear shoe-in for almost any college football program in the country, Nelson did not even begin to play football until his junior year after a baseball game in which he knocked the catcher into the backstop. Famous for putting on Bonney Smith concerts with PG friends Jerrel Smith ’05 and Nick Hennessey ’05 around the dorm, Nelson has a very happy demeanor and was only too happy to answer some of my questions. How did you first get into Sports? “Ever since I was a little kid I always played sports…every damn sport I could play.” Any interests outside athletics? “I play the oboe and the piano.” What is your favorite part of being at Andover? “There is so much to choose from I am still deciding.” Do you have any pre-game rituals? “I do the Steve Sherrill head-jerk to get in the zone.” If you could be any animal what would you be and why? “I would be a rabbit…a gigantic rabbit.” Why? “A gigantic rabbit.” Football in college? “Yes, Division One.” How’s your love life? “It’s a love life.” Any closing comments? “Wally is the man…just saying goodnight!” (‘Rock on’ hand symbol) This was yet another interview I conducted surrounded by the Bartlet post graduates. Nelson was eager to comply with any question I had for him and was good humored throughout the whole process. Jerrell Smith ’05 offered to give a summarizing closing statement abotu his teammate and dormmate, saying, “Lets analyze Adrian in a couple a words…Adrian, he’s a big guy, you’d be scared of him if you saw him, but inside he’s a sweet guy, he’s a big teddy bear.”
