He was drafted 26th overall in the 1968 NBA draft by the Baltimore Bullets, yet decided to return the University of New Mexico for a year to complete his degree and act as an assistant coach.
For the two years that Nelson played at New Mexico, they were coined "two of the best teams in school history.
Nelson's senior season at UNM began with a 17–0 run and resulted in a WAC title and advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in UNM history.
He was then selected as a Helms All-American in addition to being first team All-WAC.He later went on to play for The Floridians of the ABA.
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