Adam Nelson '97 has one of the biggest necks, pound-for-pound on campus.
During the football season Nelson said his neck measures 21 inches around, but at the present time it's only a delicate 20 inches in circumference. In comparison the Boston Globe reported yesterday that Mike Tyson's neck is only 19 inches.
"I do a four way neck machine in football season, but I was blessed with a really thick neck from birth," Nelson, who can bench press 460 pounds, explained modestly.
At 6 feet tall, 233 pounds, Nelson's neck is not the only thing about him that is big. And in his games, size definitely helps.
Recruited to Dartmouth for football, Nelson truly excels in shot put where two years ago Nelson placed first in the shot put at the Junior Pan-American Games.
Last year Nelson became the world junior shot put champion with a throw of 60 feet, 2 inches at the World Junior Track and Field Championships in Portugal.
Incidentally, Nelson also holds Dartmouth's indoor record for a toss of 57-10 which earned him a place on the All-Ivyfirst team. This year he earned a spot on the second team.
During Spring term finals, Nelson competed in the national championships.
"I didn't throw that well although I'm not really sure why," he said. "I wasn't technically sound. I look back on it now and realize I wasn't ready for it -- mentally I wasn't ready for that type of meet."
Nelson said he did not do particularly well at the Olympic Festival at the end of July either.
But both events, Nelson said, were valuable because they gave him experience at a high level of competition.
Nelson said he started throwing in eighth grade but shot put did not come easily from the beginning.
"The only reason I did it was because the football coach was the track coach and he said, 'Well, why don't you come out and try throwing the shot with us?' "
Getting good took time.
In eighth grade Nelson did not do well at any meets. In ninth grade he began to place around sixth or seventh. By 10th grade Nelson was coming third or fourth and by his junior and senior year he was one of the best throwers in Georgia.
Although most students would describe Nelson as big, he maintains he has a small frame as throwers go.
"I saw throwing as a challenge," he said. "I wasn't as big as a lot of the people who threw, and I enjoyed coming up against a lot of people bigger than me and beating them when I could."
The fact that Nelson can beat anyone is amazing, considering he was temporarily paralyzed five years ago after jarring his neck at wrestling practice.
Having recovered, Nelson went on to earn Georgia All-State honors in football, wrestling and track, winning two state titles in both discus and shot put.
Although shot put and football might seem incompatible, Nelson insists they are quite similar sports.
"It's really no problem because they don't conflict as far as seasons go, and the training I do for football compliments my track pretty well," Nelson said.
He said footwork and strength are important to both sports.
Nelson struggled when he tried to decide which sport he preferred.
"I like them both for different reasons," he said. "Football is probably my first love because that is the sport that I've always done."
Also, Nelson said he likes the team aspect of football -- working with people and working hard as a unit.
"Track is very individual and you can try and make it a team sport but in the end it is individual accomplishments that make a team good," Nelson said. "Track allows me to fined my limits by myself and know what I'm capable of a lot easier than football, because with football I always have people helping me out."
Training for two sports, Nelson said, is a major commitment.
"When I'm in football season I'm a football player so I dedicatemyself to football," he said.
Football takes up between four and six hours a day in season, while track takes up a constant four, Nelson said.
For the most part, Nelson said it is not that hard to balance athletics with school work.
"Sometimes on the weekend it's tough with football," he said. "We'll leave on Friday night and be gone all day Saturday and then travel home Saturday night."
But the killer, Nelson said, comes during the track season when he can be gone from Thursday through to Sunday.
"It may seem that I have a lot of time on my own to concentrate," he said, "but it's hard to concentrate on homework when you have your mind on a meet."
Athletics has interfered with his long-term academic plans at Dartmouth.
A government major, Nelson said he would love to minor in drama but the minor requires his participation in a play -- something he just does not have the time for.
Nelson, co-President of Chi Heorot fraternity this term, said he has been able to relax a little bit this summer, though not as much as he would like, but at the same time is really looking forward to football season in the fall.
"It's the first season I'll be healthy coming in," said Nelson, who has been plagued by ankle injuries. "And knock on wood, I'll stay healthy."
Nelson said the upcoming indoor track season also looks promising since three or four of last year's top throwers graduated.
"I have a chance for the nationals," he said. "It's kind of a long-shot."
Dartmouth can expect big things from a big guy.
