Emerson William "Spike" Nelson[1] (April 2, 1906 – October 20, 1998)[2][3] was an American college football player and coach.

He served as the head football coach at Mississippi State College, now Mississippi State University, in 1938 and at Yale University in 1941, compiling a career head coaching record of 5–13.

He played college football as a tackle at the University of Iowa and was selected as a first-team tackle by the New York Sun on its 1926 College Football All-America Team.

[5][6][7] # denotes interim head coach.

This biographical article relating to a college football coach first appointed in the 1930s is a stub.