The End of an Era - Nelson to Retire as Suffolk AD

Written by John Parente - GNAC Special Reporter

Practically everyone at Suffolk University felt it would be an afterthought.  After all, Jim Nelson’s illustrious career had moved into its 46^th year with no sign of decelerating

Surely the Great Northeast Athletic Conference’s parliamentarian, voice of reason, and elder statesman would prolong his tenure into his golden anniversary—a 50^th year at Suffolk—and maybe beyond.  After all, hadn’t he worked under seven of the institution’s nine presidents?  One of them even purposely shut his office door at the mere mention that Nelson wanted to speak with him about retirement.  There were going, in that president’s mind,  to be no changes at the top of the Rams’ athletic department. 

Jim Nelson was a fixture, known and revered by the entire campus community; well respected, admired, and the face of the department of athletics for nearly a half-century.  He wouldn’t dream of going anywhere, would he?

But shock waves hit the Hub when Nelson recently announced he was retiring as of May 31^st, putting an end to a storied career that transcended the growth and development of athletics at Suffolk, it was a career that paralleled the institution’s own timeline.

“It certainly wasn’t a decision taken lightly,” said Nelson last week.  “I have mixed, ambivalent feelings, and I know I’ll have some great withdrawal pains.  It wasn’t easy with another four to go to reach fifty years of service.”

Assistant athletic director and head baseball coach Cary McConnell called the news of Nelson’s decision “…hard to swallow.  Jim’s been a great mentor, a true role model for all of us.  His ability to cross over and consider the merits of any situation is uncanny.    He is always calm, composed, unflappable.  We knew it’d eventually happen, and he’s got the energy to get to fifty.  But there was an awful lot of disbelief in that room when he announced he was leaving.  Our department’s success started right at the top.”

Jeff Stone, Suffolk’s head athletic trainer, was brought by Nelson from Bridgewater State in 2004.  “Jim remembered me from the 70s, when I used to tape his kids,” Stone says, alluding to Nelson’s successful coaching career with Suffolk’s men’s basketball team.  “He is a true Renaissance man, old school,” says Stone, “Guys like him are hard to find.  He has a cache of trust and a solid reputation.  He’s legendary—Suffolk’s version of New Hampshire’s ‘Old Man in the Mountain’.  It’s a really big loss for all of us.”

But both McConnell and Stone say the institution’s reverence for Nelson stems from a simple humility which fosters admiration from the first time you meet him.  “No one at this place is more recognizable,” says Stone.  “His ability to remember names and faces…his memory, it’s tremendous.  He’s been through three generations here; and he’s worked with sons of sons of sons who were students here.  That’s amazing. 

“He’s so resourceful, and his contacts have helped us in so many ways for so many years.  He knows the movers and shakers in the city—and at the state level.  We’ve always been challenged for outdoor facilities.  No matter what, no matter when, he always, always got it done.  He’s always maintained that you really can do more with less.

“He’s touched so many.  On campus, he’s helped administrators, the bursar’s office, other faculty members, security and many other departments—he’s universally admired,” Stone says.

Nelson’s career unassumingly began in September, 1966, after he graduated from Boston College one year before.  His hiring turned out to be a laundry list of positions, he was an assistant director of athletics, the assistant coach of both men’s basketball and baseball, the head cross country coach, and the director of intramural activities. Nelson immediately learned what it was like to have a full plate.  The indoctrination would come in handy over the next four-plus decades.

“I remember October 15^th, which was a sacred day around here,” Nelson said of the opening day of the Rams’ basketball season.  “I vividly remember hearing the squeal of sneakers, and I was tempted to go to practice.  I don’t know how I fought that urge.”

Nelson has stayed connected with college basketball through his service on many committees, including the ECAC’s Division III New England selection committee, which he has chaired for the past 31 years.  “I thought those positions were supposed to rotate,” he chuckled.

Along with the coaching positions and the directorship of the intramural program, Nelson also carved out enough time to teach a course in the history of sport, something he has done since 1975.  “The Dean at the time made me teach the course that my predecessor, Charlie Law, had taught,” Nelson recalls, “I enjoy it because not only do I have student-athletes in the class, but there’s a good mix of other students from other walks of university life.  It’s a lot of fun and keeps me engaged.”

The course has also allowed Nelson an opportunity to travel and take in two Olympics.  Nelson’s trips to Athens in 2004 and Beijing in 2008 allowed him a chance not only to view the Games, but to gain first-hand knowledge of the history and development of the Olympic movement. 

Nelson’s continued research into the Olympics was interrupted in 2012.  Though his travel arrangements were arranged, he was forced to cancel those plans to attend a more important event. Nelson’s son, Dan, one of his five children, got married.  “That was OK,” says Nelson, adding quickly that “Rio De Janeiro is looking pretty good for 2016.”

The GNAC will also soon to feel the impact of Nelson’s retirement.   Conference commissioner Joe Walsh says Nelson has played a leading role in the GNAC’s development.  “It’s wonderful to see what he’s helped us achieve in our 17 years.  He’s been a mentor to all of us, he’s always provided sage advice, and has proven his dedication to sportsmanship and ethical conduct in everything he’s done.”

GNAC treasurer Tony Mariano, Norwich’s director of athletics, calls Nelson the league’s “go-to guy.  His experience and expertise have driven the conference to where it is today.  He’s been a true visionary, with great insight.  He’s a ‘steady-as-she-goes’ kind of guy,” says Mariano, “he’ll point us in the right direction if we waiver off course.”

Rivier University Director of Athletics Joanne Merrill, the GNAC’s longtime secretary, calls Nelson, the conference’s “moral compass.  If you have a question about anything, big or small, Jim’s always there to provide an answer, and it usually falls on the side of the student-athlete.  He has always been their most constant advocate.  His sense of history is unmatched, and so is his sense of humor.  Suffolk has a major challenge to try to replace him.”

Brian Curtin of St. Joseph’s College of Maine agrees.  “Jim Nelson is a great professional.  The GNAC will miss his thoughtfulness, his strategic thinking, and his guidance.  Not only has Jim been a great role model for athletic administration, he has always been a positive leader and is always willing to give of his time to exchange ideas.  He is respected not only for his continued knowledge of NCAA issues, but he has always considered student-athletes first and foremost.”

Surely, Suffolk will face a major challenge in its search for a replacement, and Nelson will certainly have a role in that process.  “The University needs a master plan,” he offered, “and you can’t depend on one or two individuals.  There are needs to be addressed,” Among the most important of those needs is the identification of outdoor competitive and practice facilities.

“Suffolk is in a unique situation, a unique part of Boston—the State House, Government Center, the business district, the hospitals—everything but parking places and athletic fields,” he quipped, “Someone is going to have to continue the relationships that were formed and fostered with the city of Boston…and Cambridge, Quincy, and Somerville, too (Suffolk often uses municipal facilities in several locations for its outdoor sports.)  It’s going to get worse when those that I’ve worked with retire themselves,” he warned, “Where will we go?  A master plan will go a long way to answer those questions.

“Athletic directors have a job in which you never really catch up,” he says, “something always comes up.  Whether it’s a staffing or facility issue, an academic situation, alumni, a vendor, an athlete—whatever—something always comes up.  And when it does, something you really wanted to do suffers and takes the back seat.”

Another challenge, Nelson sees, is as basic as the day is long—money.  “We see how the landscape of Division I athletics has changed, especially with large media contracts with events like the men’s basketball tournament,”  he says, “It may be a decade or two away, but Division III institutions are going to have to develop  ways to seek money from external sources and generate revenue like their larger counterparts.”

For his part, Nelson says he’s seen a transformation in collegiate athletics over his tenure.  “It used to be that you saw parents upon their student’s arrival on campus, and didn’t seen them again until their student’s departure,” he says, “ Nowadays, there’s more engagement, and with that, sometimes, an sense of entitlement that didn’t exist years ago.”                 

Then there’s the lack of respect that often prevails, the perception of a demise in sportsmanship and ethical conduct, something Nelson has always and consistently championed.  “It’s a sign of the times, I guess,” he says, “It’s part of youth culture, a glorification of taunting at the professional level in men’s basketball and in other sports.  The National Hockey League, for example,  took steps to limit fighting, but what happens when you watch highlights?  They lead into the game story by showing a fight.  It creates a double-standard.  The announcers decry fighting but there’s no hesitation to lead with it.” 

Nelson hopes to continue to fight the good fight when he can, and hopes to engage with the Suffolk community in whatever role may come his way.  He intends to be part of the committee that has been empowered to develop long-range athletic programming at Suffolk.

He’ll also spend plenty of time with his wife of 45 years, Joan, and his five grandchildren, three from Scituate, Massachusetts, and two from New York City.  “The kids from New York like to come for an extended time, especially during the summer.  The first thing they do is take off their shoes and run on our sidewalks,” Nelson says, “They can’t do that in New York.”  Nelson says travelling with Joan is also very much on his radar screen.

But one thing’s for sure, and Stone put Suffolk’s reaction rather succinctly.  “It’s just not going to be the same.”