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CLEAR Temp: 34 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Saturday, October 12, 2002 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend September 27, 2002 Eagle Point�s Tyson Nelson has passed for 663 yards, seven touchdowns and just two interceptions in the Eagles� first three games. Mail Tribune / Jim Craven Eagle Point soaring with Nelson The Eagles’ QB has overcome his share of setbacks By DON HUNT Mail Tribune EAGLE POINT — Some of Tyson Nelson’s friends tell him he’s crazy to play football. With three concussions over the past two years and no less than a half-dozen since he was a small child, Nelson knows he’s playing a form of Russian Roulette on the gridiron. But the 6-foot, 179-pound Eagle Point High quarterback enjoys the game so much that he’s willing to risk his health to play it during his senior year. "I don’t want to look back 20 years from now and regret not playing," says Nelson, who will lead the Eagles into Spiegelberg Stadium tonight to battle South Medford. "I love the game, but more than that I love being around my teammates, going on road trips and all the other stuff that goes with football." Nelson has had more than his share of setbacks. He was in a car wreck in which his mother was killed at the age of 4. A couple of years later, he fell over backwards in the bathtub and was knocked unconscious. Not long after that he was diagnosed with a nerve disorder that made him pass out whenever he experienced sharp pain. Then he discovered he was color blind. "The file at my doctor’s office is pretty thick," says Nelson, whose strong Christian faith has helped him get through his woes. Nelson’s health seemed to improve throughout middle school and into high school, but then came a series of concussions during his sophomore year. He suffered one in football when he got knocked cold after throwing an interception and trying to make the tackle in a JV game at Grants Pass. He suffered one in wrestling when his head bounced on the floor. And he suffered one in baseball when he got elbowed in the jaw by an opposing catcher. The series of head injuries kept Nelson on the sidelines last fall in football. But after making it through the wrestling and baseball seasons last winter and spring — he won a state championship in wrestling at 171 pounds — Nelson wanted to give football one last crack. His desire to play grew even stronger when he learned that Harry Hedrick, who had a reputation for developing quarterbacks, would become the new Eagles coach. First, through, Nelson had to pass a series of motor and vision tests from a Portland neurologist, which he did, and then get permission from his father and step-mother. "This has been a real challenge for us as a family," says Rob Nelson, Tyson’s father. "We talked long and hard about whether he should play or not. "In the end, we left the decision up to him." Before Tyson stepped on the field, however, he promised his dad he would make every effort to avoid helmet-to-helmet contact. He would run out of bounds or slide head-first rather than smack into a defensive player. And he wouldn’t play any defense. Nelson is also wearing a unique helmet that’s made for players who have had concussions, and a special mouthpiece. "I’m taking some precautions, but I don’t think about the possibility of getting another (concussion)," Nelson says. "That wouldn’t serve any purpose and it would only hurt my performance." In his first varsity start, Nelson completed 20-of-33 passes for 335 yards and four touchdowns in a wild, 42-41 overtime loss to Summit. He is 44-of-72 for 663 yards, seven touchdowns and just two interceptions in the Eagles’ first three games, putting him near the top of the Southern Oregon Conference quarterback ratings. "When you consider he hasn’t been on the field for two years and that he’s playing in a completely new system, it’s remarkable what he’s doing," Hedrick says. Fans in Eagle Point are crossing their fingers that their remarkable signal-caller makes it through the season without another head injury. Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search M Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy web master feedback A D V E R T I S E R S