[1] He served three-and-a-half years in the Navy during World War II[2] as a petty officer on a landing craft.

[3] He jumped to the All-America Football Conference in 1946, playing for the Los Angeles Dons from 1946 to 1949.

He concluded his career back in the NFL with the first Baltimore Colts in 1950.

[4][5] After retiring from football, Nelson received a law degree from Baylor and worked as the Milam County Attorney and later as in-house counsel for the Federal Aviation Administration.

[3] A resident of Granbury, Texas during his final years, Nelson died November 3, 1986 in a Fort Worth hospital.