Friends of Basketball

Chris Nelson

Year Inducted: 2000

Category: Friends of Basketball

Schools / Organizations: Yorkville High School
Sandwich High School
Oswego High School
Altamont High School

Biography: Chris Nelson is a graduate of Hoopeston High School with a bachelor’s from Illinois State University and a master’s from Northern Illinois University. He served 13 years as an assistant basketball coach in Altamont, Sandwich and Oswego and worked five years as athletic director at Sandwich High School.  In 1985, Nelson began a 14-year tenure as basketball coach at Yorkville High School, where his teams won four conference titles, four IHSA Regional titles and played in two IHSA Sectional championships. His 232 wins at Yorkville were the most of any coach in program history at the time of his induction and he coached its first Sweet 16 team in IHSA Class A in 1995.  After his retirement, Nelson still extended a helping hand to Yorkville basketball as the public address announcer for Foxes’ home basketball games.