Springfield, Ohio – Long before millions of people chose to douse themselves with cold water in the name of finding a cure for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), members of the Wittenberg University men’s lacrosse community had a far more personal connection – and champion – to inspire them to rise up against the insidious disease.
Andy Nelson, class of 1995, was diagnosed with ALS, often referred to as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, in 2011. He is battling a disease with no known cure and the lowest survival rate possible, but that doesn’t mean he has given up the fight. Neither have his family, friends or former teammates, who have rallied around Nelson – while coming to realize what is important in their own lives and relationships.
“From the start of the diagnosis we have been asking what we can do to support Andy, his wife Alex and son Will, and to keep his legacy alive,” said Peter Waldron, class of 1995. “All of our friends have stepped up and done their part in either coming to spend time with Andy or to support him from afar. Throughout this challenging disease Andy has faced it head on and with an amazingly positive attitude.”
Nelson, a native of Ridgewood, NJ, and a current resident of Baltimore, Md., earned four varsity letters as a men’s lacrosse student-athlete at Wittenberg after graduating from the Hun School in Princeton, NJ. During his career, the Tigers compiled records of 12-33 overall and 3-20 in the North Coast Athletic Conference, and he is not listed in the team’s record book as having earned the types of awards associated with the most successful players.
As usual, however, statistics and records do little to paint the entire picture. Nelson’s Wittenberg experience is more accurately defined by the liberal arts tradition of fulfilling academic, athletic and social experiences, including his affiliation with the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, life-long friendships with lacrosse teammates, and an eventual partnership with his future wife, Alex, also a member of the class of 1995.
Those relationships and experiences have become the foundation for Nelson’s battle with ALS. When Waldron and Nelson first participated in the annual Fiesta 5K in Baltimore, a fundraiser for the Robert Packard Center for ALS Research at Johns Hopkins University, they adopted the mantra of the Wittenberg student-athlete, “Tiger Up!” Wittenberg community members know it as a rallying cry for excellence on the field and in the classroom, so Nelson made it the motto for Team Nelly, the unofficial name for his legion of supporters, “to unite people to achieve a common goal.”
More than 150 family members, friends and teammates at the 2014 event in May proudly wore Team Nelly t-shirts adorned with the phrase “Tiger Up!” on the back. Team Nelly raised $31,867.84 after raising an event record $54,000 in 2013. The tremendous showing – in both personal and financial support – has been overwhelming to Waldron, but not necessarily surprising.
“Our group doesn’t have championship rings to shine or hall of fame dinners to attend,” Waldron said. “We actually have much more than that. We have a bond that stands up to the trials and tribulations that life brings us.
“It is being tested right now, and I can assure you that our relationship, our respect and admiration for each other, and our ability to Tiger Up is stronger than ever. It is because we have Andy showing us the way.”
Ryan Spitzer '15 is the first-ever recipient of the Andy Nelson Unsung Hero Award.
Photo by Erin Pence
Back at his alma mater, Nelson’s legacy is just taking shape. A scholarship fund has been established in his honor, intended to ensure that future Tigers have the same collegiate opportunities that Nelson remembers so fondly. Separately, current Tiger Head Coach Jay Owen has worked with Nelson’s friends to create the Andy Nelson Unsung Hero Award to honor the player who best epitomizes his best traits as a teammate.
“Our team talks about being a family, and Andy’s story epitomizes it,” said Owen, who led the Tigers to a 10-5 overall record in his first season at the helm in 2014. “It illustrates to our team and potential student-athletes that our program truly cares about them as people first and lacrosse players second.
“Lacrosse as a whole is a pretty tight-knit community, as is shown by Peter and all of Andy’s friends. I am truly moved to see the compassion Andy’s teammates have shown supporting him while he’s battling this awful disease. Andy’s determination to carry on and attack this disease head on inspires me and our entire team.”
The first recipient of the Andy Nelson Unsung Hero Award is Ryan Spitzer, a senior defensive midfielder from Lincolnshire, Ill. He received the award at the team’s 2014 banquet, which took place on Saturday, Oct. 4.
“We wanted to find a way to keep Andy’s name alive and a way for each of us to give back to the place that is the foundation of our friendships,” Waldron said. “Though we are not all lacrosse players, this award will allow us to do that. It will also allow us to honor a player that embodies the qualities that we all stand in awe in Andy.
“Andy is an unsung hero who is facing the inevitable. He faces it with grace, pride and integrity. Andy would be the first person to tell you that he was not the best player on the field, but he was one of the hardest-working players out there. He was committed to the team and those around him. He pushed himself hard every day and pushed those around him. He was and is a fighter.”
Click here to make a donation to the Andy Nelson Scholarship Fund.
Written By: Ryan Maurer