Van Nelson was a four-year letter winner in both cross-country and track at St. Cloud State from 1964 to 1968. He competed on the Huskies first men’s cross-country team in 1964 and was a four-year team captain. Nelson was the NIC Cross Country Individual Champion and Athlete of the Year in 1965, 1966 and 1967. He ran in four NAIA National Championships placing eighth in 1964 and followed that up with three straight third place finishes from 1965 to 1967. He was a four-time NAIA cross country All-American, four-time outdoor track All-American and three-time indoor track All-American. Nelson was a seven-time national champion at the NAIA indoor and outdoor championship. During his track career, Nelson ran 11 races at the NAIA National Championships, claiming three indoor titles in the two-mile run and five outdoor titles in the three-mile run (twice), two-mile run, mile run and 10,000 meter run. In his first outdoor NAIA championship he placed second in the three-mile run and set a U.S. national freshman record with a time of 13:45.8. In 1967, Nelson collected 24 points at the NAIA National Meet winning the three-mile run and mile run and placing fourth in the steeplechase. His point total gave the Huskies (with just Nelson running) a fourth place team finish. In 1968 Nelson was given the NIC’s “Most Outstanding Athlete” award in track and field. Nelson served as a track tri-captain as freshman and went on to captain the team the next three seasons. Nelson went on to compete at the national level as a member of the U.S. Track Team in 1966 and placed sixth in the three-mile run at the U.S. AAU National meet and was ranked 24th in the word in the three-mile run and 28th in the six-mile run. He was a member of the U.S. Pan American team in 1967 and won Pan Am Games titles at 5,000 and 10,000 meters that year setting records in both races. He was a member of the 1967 U.S. World Team finishing second in the 5,000 and 10,000 meter runs. He won the six-mile run at the AAU National Meet in 1967 and placed third in the three-mile run and was ranked fourth in the world in the three-mile run and eighth in the six mile run. Nelson was a member of the U.S. Olympic team in 1968 and finished 29th in the 10,000 meters at Mexico City. He was ranked sixth in the world in the 5,000 meter and fifth in the 10,000 meters in 1968. In 1972 he was inducted into the NAIA National Track and Field Hall of Fame and the Drake Relays Hall of Fame. He is a member of the St. Cloud State University Athletic Hall of Fame.
Nelson and his wife Linda have been married 38 years and have a son, Adam and a daughter, Katie. Nelson retired from the Edina School District after 41 years as a Science and Health Teacher. He also was head track & cross country coach at Edina from 1972-1978 and coached with the team again from 1995-2013.