Thursday, 07 May 2026

Lindsay Nelson

Contest: The US Athletic Hall of Fame - Commentators 2026
Embed from Getty Images
Sport(s): Football & Baseball
Statistics & Accolades: National Sports Media Association Hall of Fame
Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame
Ford C. Frick Award
Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award
5x National Sports Media Association Sportscaster of the Year
College Football Hall of Fame
New York Mets Hall of Fame
Lifetime Achievement Emmy Award
A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Lindsay Nelson returned to his alma mater to call football games and was the first voice of the Vol Network. That in itself is a remarkable accomplishment, but Nelson became a national figure in football and baseball over the 50s through 70s.

Dry talking, yet loud-wearing (his multi-colored plaid suits belied his vanilla personality), Nelson called games straight in a matter-of-fact manner, which he did deliberately as opposed to overanalysis. Nelson called the Cotton Bowl for 26 straight years, earning him the “Mr. New Year’s Day” moniker. He was also the syndicated voice of Notre Dame Football for 14 seasons, and in the 1963 Army-Navy game, Nelson was the first to cover the use of instant replay.

Nelson was also an iconic figure in baseball, having been the first Mets broadcaster (1962-78) and being the center of a legendary trio with Ralph Kiner and Bob Murphy. He also famously called a game from a gondola suspended 208 feet above second base at the Astrodome.

He is one of the few to have won the Ford C. Frick and Pete Rozelle Award.

We are proud to nominate Lindsay Nelson for the United States Athletic Hall of Fame.

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