OMAHA, Neb. – He helped build a fledgling women's golf team into a conference power. For that and many other accomplishments, former Omaha men's and women's golf coach
Tim Nelson is being remembered by current and former Mavericks.
Nelson passed away in Omaha on Thursday at age 73. He took over as head coach of the women's golf team prior to the 2003-04 season, its fourth year of existence. That year, his team repeated as North Central Conference Champion, the first of two for Nelson.
The following season, his team would be NCC runner-up but won the Division II regional to qualify for the NCAA Division II Championship. The Mavericks finished seventh in the NCAAs that year and would do so again in two of the next three seasons. In all, the Mavericks won three regional titles during Nelson's tenure.
When the Mavericks changed conferences to the MIAA in 2008, Nelson guided the Mavericks to three straight league titles and had the individual medalist in each of those seasons.
Nelson was a two-time NCC Coach of the Year (2003-04, 2006-07) and was twice named the MIAA Coach of the Year (2008-09, 2009-10). He coached Tanis Hastmann in 2003-04, the season she earned Second Team All-American honors, the only Maverick to do so.
When the Mavericks transitioned to Division I in 2001, Nelson was named Director of Golf and was responsible for the women's team as well as the new men's team. He retired from UNO following the fall season in 2015.
An Army veteran, Nelson was a 1980 UNO graduate and a Professional Golfer's Association teaching professional since 1972. Before returning to his alma mater, he was head coach at College of St. Mary in 2002-03.
Nelson is survived by his wife, Kris, his sons Ryan and Cory, daughter Lindsey (Skwira) and six grandchildren.
