Nov. 9, 2000

By Tony Phifer
The Coloradoan

FORT COLLINS, Colo. - Colorado State University's Rhett Nelson, who had a hand - literally - in two of the Rams' wins, will miss the rest of the season.

Nelson, a sophomore cornerback and special-teams whiz, will undergo season-ending surgery Tuesday on his left shoulder. He should be healed in time for the start of the 2001 season.

"Rhett has been huge for us this season, so this is a big loss," CSU coach Sonny Lubick said Wednesday. "He has been one of our most valuable players this season, especially on special teams."

Nelson, who first injured the shoulder in the preseason, dislocated the shoulder two weeks ago at San Diego State. He sat out last Thursday's game against Brigham Young, but the injury has not healed enough for him to play. As a result, he will miss Saturday's game at Air Force, the Nov. 16 finale against Wyoming and the Rams' upcoming bowl appearance.

"The doctors told me my shoulder was a mess and that I shouldn't be playing," Nelson said, recalling that he had surgery on his right shoulder as a freshman. "It will actually be better to take care of it now so that I'll be healthy by next fall. It will be nice next year to finally be able to play at 100 percent."

Despite nearly constant shoulder pain that kept him out of contact drills this fall, Nelson became a force for the Rams this season, particularly on special teams. Using his 41-inch vertical leap, he blocked a third-quarter field goal against New Mexico that proved pivotal in the Rams' 17-14 victory, then blocked a last-minute PAT vs. UNLV the following week that preserved CSU's 20-19 win. That play earned him Mountain West Conference special teams player of the week honors.

The next week, he intercepted a pass in the fourth quarter that set up the game-winning touchdown in a 24-17 win over Utah.

Although he played only sparingly on defense, Nelson was invaluable as a "bullet" on punt coverage. The bullet is the outside attacker who is responsible for making most of the tackles on punt returns.

"I'm glad I was able to help us win a couple of games," he said. "As long as we keep winning, I'll be happy."

Redshirt freshman Dexter Wynn will replace Nelson on special teams and could get some of his playing time at cornerback.

Nelson, the defensive MVP of last year's Liberty Bowl, is the third standout CSU player lost for the season due to injury. Earlier, outside linebacker Adam Wade (torn ACL) and wideout Dallas Davis (hamstring) were sidelined.