Colorado University Athletics
Nelson Inducted Into Colorado Running Hall Of Fame
April 27, 2016 | Track and Field
BOULDER – Billy Nelson, a former standout runner on the University of Colorado's cross country and track team and current assistant coach, was recently inducted into the Colorado Running Hall of Fame.
Nelson, a Taft, Calif., native, was a six-time All-American for the Buffs, twice as a member of the cross country team and four on the track. He also won three Big 12 Conference individual titles. Nelson was a part of the 2008 men's track and field team that won the first Big 12 team outdoor title for CU, the first conference title since 1947, and was a member of the 2006 NCAA Cross Country Championship team.
Nelson, the second fastest CU performer in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (8:28.25), went on to purse a professional career after leaving CU. He advanced to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing after placing second at the U.S. Track and Field Olympic Team Trials in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Nelson also won the 2011 USA Outdoor steeplechase title.
Prior to his professional career, Nelson was the 2003 USA Junior Cross Country Champion and Junior 5k champion. He was the top American at the 2003 World Junior Cross Country Championships with a 26th-place finish.
As an assistant with the Buffs, Nelson has helped recruit eight athletes who have combined for 24 All-American honors in cross country and indoor and outdoor track. One of his athletes, Pierce Murphy, came to CU as a walk-on, and has earned six All-American awards. Nelson's athletes have also scored 51 times at either the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation(indoor track) or Pac-12 Outdoor Championships.
Nelson has assisted with seven conference championship teams (cross country), as well as two NCAA Cross Country men's team championships (2013 and '14) and a pair of NCAA runner-up finishes (2012 and '15).
He was inducted with Adam Chase, Don Janicki, Jennifer Michel and Susan Weeks.
