Jordy Nelson

Jordy Nelson spent 11 seasons as a wide receiver in the NFL, most of them with the Green Bay Packers. Born on May 31, 1985, in Manhattan, Kansas, he grew up in Riley County on a family farm that had been in his family for four generations, started by his great-great-grandfather who came from Sweden. His parents, Alan and Kim, were farmers who held season tickets to Kansas State football games. At Riley County High School, Nelson played quarterback as a senior, completing 62% of his passes for 1,029 yards and eight touchdowns while also rushing for 1,572 yards and 25 scores.

He was named Flint Hills Player of the Year by the Manhattan Mercury and played in the 2003 Kansas Shrine Bowl. A standout in track, he won a national AAU championship in the 400 meters at age 10, and as a senior he claimed Kansas Class 3A state titles in the 100 meters (10.63 seconds), 200 meters (21.64), 400 meters (48.79), and long jump (7.00 meters). He also averaged 17.2 points per game in basketball. Nelson became the third player from his high school to reach the NFL, following Jon McGraw and Homer Hanson.

At Kansas State, Nelson started as a walk-on and redshirted in 2003, the year the Wildcats won the Big 12 Championship. After a position switch from defensive back to wide receiver in spring practice, he saw little action in 2004. His breakout came in 2005, when he caught a touchdown in seven straight games, including a 73-yard score against Oklahoma, and finished with 45 receptions for 669 yards and eight touchdowns, leading the team in every major receiving category.

Injuries limited him in 2006, but he still led the team with 39 catches for 547 yards and one touchdown, with highlights including a 117-yard game against Colorado and a 28-yard pass in an upset of No. 4 Texas. In 2007, his senior year, Nelson emerged as one of the nation’s top receivers, earning consensus All-American honors. He posted 15 catches for 209 yards against Missouri State, threw a touchdown pass against Auburn, and returned a punt 89 yards for a score against Texas. He ended the season with six straight games featuring a receiving touchdown.

The Packers selected Nelson in the second round of the 2008 NFL draft. He won Super Bowl XLV in the 2010 season, catching a touchdown pass in the victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. After a decade in Green Bay, he left in 2018 and played one season with the Oakland Raiders before retiring. In 2023, he was inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame. As of September 2025, he holds the franchise record for the most Lambeau Leaps, with 27.