Partial Returns : Simi Valley’s Nelson Frustrated With Limited Role at Colorado

J. Nelson was first drawn to the mountains surrounding Boulder, home to the University of Colorado Buffaloes. They reminded him of the hills near his Simi Valley home.

Soon after donning a Colorado uniform and returning a few kickoffs, Nelson again was reminded of Simi Valley. This time he was reminded of Simi Valley High, where Nelson also returned kickoffs and was among the most proficient tailbacks in Pioneer history.

Nelson was recruited by Colorado in 1986 as a wide receiver and defensive back. He was most successful, however, at returning kickoffs, something at which he excelled during high school.

As a freshman at Colorado, Nelson returned 21 kickoffs for 519 yards, averaging 24.7 yards a return, the 15th-best average in the nation.

“I had a pretty good year as a freshman,” said Nelson, whose team will bring an 8-3 record into the Freedom Bowl against Brigham Young (8-4) tonight at Anaheim Stadium.

But in the past 2 years Nelson, a 5-foot, 9-inch, 155-pound junior, has not been able to duplicate the success of that freshman season. He returned just 9 kickoffs last year, although he averaged 21.9 yards a return. This season, Nelson had 12 returns for 265 yards to lead the team. He has seen limited action as a running back and has caught 7 passes for 146 yards this season.

Nelson would prefer to play a more prominent role in the Colorado offense. He was a top-rated backfield prospect going into the 1987 season but lost the position to Eric Bieniemy, a 5-6 sophomore from Bishop Amat who this year became the first Colorado player since 1977 to rush for more than 1,000 yards in a season.

While he has not played as much as he would like, Nelson has made an impression on Colorado Coach Bill McCartney.

“He has been a real contributor ever since he came here,” McCartney said. “He’s not a real big kid, but he is fast and nifty.

“Probably, pound for pound, he is the toughest kid we have.”

Nelson was recruited by several major colleges, including UCLA and Stanford, after a senior year in which he rushed for 1,028 yards and 6 touchdowns and was named the Marmonte League’s Most Valuable Player.

“He was one of the best players ever at Simi Valley,” Simi Valley Coach Dave Murphy said. “He had all the ability you would want in a player.”

While Nelson picked Colorado partly because the mountains reminded him of home, he also liked the friendly atmosphere in Boulder.

“It has been a real good experience for me,” Nelson said. “Boulder is like a college town where everybody on the street knows all of the football players. It’s also about the size of Simi Valley.”

Nelson’s adjustment was made easier by his standout freshman season that included a trip to the Bluebonnet Bowl in Houston.

Next season, Nelson plans to switch to wide receiver--where he played sparingly last year--in hopes of becoming a starter. For now, however, Nelson is content to be back in Southern California for tonight’s Freedom Bowl.

“I can’t wait to be back home and see my friends and family at the game,” Nelson said.