Former Virginia State Magistrate Inducted into SUNY Oswego Athletic Hall of Fame

Related Media

RichardNelson-OswegoHOF.jpg

OSWEGO, NY (11/14/2012)(readMedia)-- The Hon. Dr. Richard Nelson, a Virginian and 1970 graduate of the State University of New York at Oswego, was honored for his achievements in tennis by being inducted Oct. 27 into the Oswego Athletic Hall of Fame in the Sheldon Hall Ballroom on the SUNY Oswego campus.

Nelson made his mark on the tennis courts, where he posted one first-place finish and three second-place finishes in the SUNY Athletic Conference Men's Tennis Championships. He recorded more points for the team championship in a three-year span than any other player. Nelson was a team co-captain and most valuable player, and was a two-year member of the men's basketball team at Oswego.

He reflected fondly on his days as a top tennis player for Oswego State, including the "gale force" winds that made playing here a challenge at times.

"I really appreciate the opportunity to play sports at Oswego," said Nelson, who retired as a magistrate in Virginia after a long career in coaching and education. "I think it helped me develop my character and had an important role in the rest of my life."

After leaving Oswego, Dr. Nelson coached several championship players and started the girls' tennis program at Geneva, N.Y., High School in the 1970s before becoming the principal at Onondaga Central High School in New York at the age of 30. He earned his master's at Oswego in 1973 and certificate of advance study in 1976.

Nelson continues to play competitive tennis, and is ranked in Virginia and the Mid-Atlantic Region in United States Tennis Association Men's 65 Tennis as a singles player.

A 151-year-old comprehensive college, SUNY Oswego enrolls about 8,000 students in its College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; School of Business; School of Communication, Media and the Arts; and School of Education. U.S. News Media Group counts SUNY Oswego among the top public regional universities in the North for 2013, and the Princeton Review includes Oswego in its 2013 college guidebook "The Best Northeastern Colleges," as well as its 2013 list of "best value" colleges and universities nationally.

PHOTO CAPTION: The Hon. Dr. Richard Nelson, right, accepts his Oswego State Athletic Hall of Fame plaque from Dr. Bruce McBride on Oct. 27. A 1970 graduate of the State University of New York at Oswego, Nelson was a champion tennis player for the college.

PHOTO CAPTION: JIM RUSSELL/SUNY OSWEGO

(Contact: Shane M. Liebler, SUNY Oswego Alumni Association, 315-312-3120, shane.liebler@oswego.edu)