Jeff Nelson - Outstanding Athletic Achievement

In 2008, Jeff Nelson watched from the stands at the California state high school track and field meet as German Fernandez from Riverbank, California became the latest challenger to his national record in the two-mile run. His record was not in jeopardy that day as the 3200 meters is slightly shorter than two miles, but he saw in person the runner who would make history and break his mark.

While Fernandez was ecstatic at breaking Nelson’s mark of 8 minutes 36.3secondsat the Nike Outdoor Nationals a few weeks after the state meet, the pursuit of that record has less to do with Nelson than what the former Vaquero accomplished as one of the most phenomenal distance runners that this area has ever seen.

Nelson has previously been honored as a GCC hall of famer in 2006as a member of the 1980 men’s cross country team that won the state championship. Nelson led Glendale to the title by winning the individual portion of the race at Griffith Park as the Vaqueros only lost one meet all season. In1981 he set three school records in the two-mile medley relay, the 5000 meters and the four-mile relay that still stand.

“I can say that as his coach for track at Glendale in the spring of 1981, Jeff Nelson was really a dream athlete for any coach to work with. He would do anything asked of him to better himself and the team and his results were outstanding,’’ said former GCC coach and 2008 hall of fame inductee Tom McMurray. “He was clearly one of the best we have ever had here and in the area. If he had any faults, it was his tendency to overtrain with daily morning, afternoon and evening workouts. I saw him out running many nights at 9:00 or 10:00 p.m. on my way home from the college and hoped that he wasn’t over doing it.’’

He came to Glendale College in 1980 after the Burbank High graduate spent a year at the University of Oregon. He injured his ankle running for the Ducks and opted to return home and compete for the Vaqueros. At Burbank, he was a two-time state champion in the two-mile in 1978 and 1979 and won multiple league and CIF titles in cross country and track from 1977 to 1979 for the Bulldogs.

Nelson’s almost three decade old national high school record of 8:36.3 was set at the Pepsi Invitational at UCLA in May, 1979 against a field of Olympic caliber runners. Dave Kemp, Nelson’s coach at Burbank and a former runner at Glendale College, said everything he achieved was evident before he ever ran a race for the Bulldogs.

“I saw Jeff in a few summer training runs before his sophomore year and you just see that he really had what it took to be something special,’’ Kemp said. “While his accomplishments as a runner speak for themselves, you will never meet a finer young man and that is what I always go back to about Jeff. Even at the state meet last year, was a real gentleman when he met German Fernandez and complemented him on his effort and said he was ready to let go of the record and let someone else carry the torch.”

It was never enough for Jeff Nelson to be the best. He set records at Burbank High and Glendale College that may never be broken and his two-mile high school mark lasted almost 30 years. His coaches say he was one of a kind with not only the desire to compete but the will to train and was very coachable at the same time.