Nelson hopes to catch on with Outlaws

Victoria Sun

Monday, Jan. 8, 2001 | 10:42 a.m.

Corey Nelson's speed almost earned him a spot on U.S. Olympic 4 x 400 relay team.

It will most likely secure him a job with the Las Vegas Outlaws.

"Physically, he's got great height and tremendous speed," Outlaws coach Jim Criner said after a recent workout. "His football background is very limited so he's raw, but he's improving by leaps and bounds.

"He has the ability to catch all varieties of balls. He's not just a deep ball catcher. He can catch the ball over the middle. He catches on the sidelines, catches the ball in his hands."

Catching on with the Outlaws is what the 6-foot-1 former Olympic hopeful wants the most.

The team opened training camp with 70 players last week at Sam Boyd Stadium. By the time camp concludes, only 45 players (38 active) will be left.

The Outlaws have 10 wide receivers trying out for about six positions.

Nelson, 23, was Boise State's second leading receiver with 34 catches for 511 yards and one touchdown his senior season. In his two years at Boise State he was the school's top kickoff returner, averaging 19.7 yards in 1997 and 23 yards in 1998.

As a member of the track team he earned two All-American awards and broke Boise State's 400-meter record at the Big West Championships with a time of 45.36.

After he wasn't selected in the 1999 NFL Draft, Nelson hung up his cleats and focused on trying out for the Olympic team. He qualified for the Olympic Trials last July in Sacramento, Calif., but fell short of his goal.

"I think I was half a second off from qualifying for the next trial," Nelson said. "I was hoping to run in the 44 (second range), maybe mid-44 (second) point.

"I think if I hit that time I would have had a good chance of making it to the relay team. I think a combination of things got me.

"It was the first time I had ever seen Michael Johnson in person. And Maurice (Greene) in person. And you know, I was wowed for a few minutes. It was a sold-out stadium and I think it was the biggest crowd I ever ran in front of.

"I didn't necessarily run slow, I just didn't run as fast as I wanted to run. That's my only regret."

Nelson doesn't regret foregoing football for a year to chase his Olympic dream, though he admits it may have hurt his opportunity to be selected higher in the XFL draft.

The Outlaws took Nelson with the 389th pick of the league's inaugural Player Allocation Selection System.

"It didn't matter to me when I got picked as long as I got picked," Nelson said. "I sat out for a year to pursue track so a lot of people overlooked me for more experienced players.

"When I went to my combine, I went 110 percent trying to make a team and I did pretty well. ... Luckily Las Vegas picked me up.

"I don't mind being a sleeper because that just takes the attention away from me. It gives me more of a chance to make big plays and open people's eyes. That's just something I seemed to do throughout my athletic career."

So far, Nelson has proved to be a good pick by the Outlaws.

Criner confirmed that Nelson is the fastest player on the team and consistently runs the 40-yard dash in 4.29 or 4.3 seconds. Criner is impressed with Nelson's work ethic.

All Nelson needs is more experience, the coach said.

"He certainly has the potential and ability to make it both ways as a receiver or returner," Criner said. "The biggest thing he has got to do and this comes with confidence, which he's gaining every day, is he needs to play faster. As he gets more confidence in what he's doing, that speed will show."