Even though Jordy Nelson has said that he sees himself as a farmer rather than an American football player, no one will remember him for driving a tractor or rounding up a herd. But he will be remembered because he was one of the best wide receivers in the NFL and because he helped the Green Bay Packers win the Super Bowl XLV.
Jordy Nelson Biography (Age)
Nelson was born as Jordy Ray Nelson to Kim and Alan Nelson on May 31, 1985, in Manhattan, Kansas. He grew up in Riley, Kansas, where his parents, fourth-generation Swedish immigrants, own and run a farm that has been in the family since Nelson’s great-great-grandfather arrived in America.
As a child, Nelson displayed exceptional athletic ability and won individual and team recognition in athletics, basketball, and soccer. He then attended Riley County High School, where he continued to excel in all three sports despite his ambition to become a professional footballer.
After graduating high school, Jordy enrolled at Kansas State University where he was given the opportunity to play under the legendary Wildcats coach Bill Snyder. He began his college football career as an errand boy and was first moved to the defensive back position and later to the wide receiver position. His first year and the start of the second season were memorable until Nelson was able to contribute to his team’s games and record a number of remarkable statistics.
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By his senior year, Nelson had become one of the best wide receivers in the nation. By the end of this season, he had recorded 122 catches at 1,606 yards and 11 touchdowns. In addition, he was a finalist for the Biletnikoff Prize and was awarded the Consensus All-American Honors.
In the 2008 NFL Draft, Jordy Nelson was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the second round with the 36th overall, and the rest became history.
Injury History and Analysis
Jordy Nelson’s struggle with injuries began in his college days when he suffered a posterior cruciate ligament injury in 2006. After joining the NFL in 2008, he suffered a medial collateral ligament strain that kept him out of three games. He recovered quickly and was able to stay injury-free for four years until he developed problems with his hamstring and knee.
On October 24, 2012, Nelson was benched for a game due to a femoral tendon sprain. A few weeks later, on November 4, 2012, he suffered a sprain in his right ankle, and on December 2, 2012, he suffered another strain in the hamstring. All these injuries culminated in his missing four games and most of the two games in which he suffered these injuries.
In August 2013, Jordy Nelson underwent arthroscopic surgery for an unspecified knee injury. As a result, he missed the preseason, but fully recovered and was able to participate in week 1. One year later, in August 2014, Nelson suffered another strain in the thigh bend, which caused him to miss the preseason again. In the off-season of 2015, he underwent surgery for a left hip impingement, which healed in time to return to training camp. Luck was not on his side, however, when he tore his right anterior cruciate ligament in the team’s second preseason game and sat on the bench for the entire season, including the following preseason in 2016.
Since that long break, his next injuries were a rib fracture on January 8, 2017, and a left shoulder injury on December 23, 2017.
Jordy Nelson Wife
Jordy Nelson is married to the love of his life, Emily Nelson (née Rothlisberger), a former college basketball star who now works as a kindergarten teacher at Fort Howard Elementary School in Green Bay.
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The couple married in 2007 after a long time together; since sixth grade, to be exact. According to Nelson, the duo have known each other all their lives, having grown up in the same city in Kansas and attended the same schools from kindergarten. They first met in the first year of middle school, but that didn’t last long since they separated a year later. A few years later, however, in the first year of high school, Nelson tried a second time and the rest became history.
Together the couple has two sons, Royal and Brooks. They also have an adopted daughter named Adda Jo.
Height, Weight, and Other Facts
Birth Name: Jordy Ray Nelson
Date of Birth: May 31, 1985
Place of Birth: Manhattan, Kansas
Height: 6 feet 3 inches (1.91 m)
Weight: 217 pounds (98 kg)
Education: Riley County High School, Kansas State University
