Horatio Alger would love the story of Chet Nelson’s sports writing career.
He started out as a stringer covering semipro baseball and wound up sports editor and sports columnist for the Rocky Mountain News. His rise in the world of sports journalism matched Denver’s rise as a major league town.
In 1931, Nelson was running the Merchants Park scoreboard and keeping box scores for the News. By the time he retired in 1976, Nelson’s byline had appeared on stories from the Super Bowl, World Series, Kentucky Derby, major prizefights…you name it.
Nelson, was installed as sports editor in 1934, and right away he got press credentials for his first World Series. He watched as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Detroit Tigers in seven games.
Four years later, in 1938, Nelson was covering the University of Colorado Buffaloes in the Cotton Bowl. Although the team lost to Rice 28-14, Nelson scored something of a victory by leading Byron “Whizzer” White’s unofficial —but successful—campaign for the All-America team.
It was that way through the next four decades.
His rise in the world of sports journalism matched Denver’s rise as a major league town.