Who Is Raki “Move The Chains” Nelson

Raki Nelson: High School

From 1992-1995 Raki Nelson was a household name in the Harrisburg Pennsylvania area. He was an all around amazing athlete with gifts most people can only dream of having. Raki played his high school ball at Bishop McDevitt where he racked up 3,132 yards on the football field. In 95 he would help his team win a state title solidifying a high school career to remember and not soon forgotten. Bishop Mcdevitt has rich history from players like; Ricky Watters, Zeffe Pen, Ronnie Lemelle, and Vince Pease.

 Basketball

Raki also dabbled on the basketball court as well, being a complete athlete, it was an easy transition back and forth between the sports. One of his claims to fame on the basketball court was playing against Kobe Bryant. At the time Raki and everyone else had no idea who he would become, but they beat Kobe’s Lower Merion High School squad and Raki even poured in 27 points against the Hall Of Fame NBA Champion.The memory is vivid and honestly, how could it not, Raki remembers the scene in his own words.

“I remember playing in this tournament against Lower Merion High School, and they had this guy on their team, Kobe Bryant. We really didn’t know who Kobe was, but after watching him play, Kobe seemed like he was really going to be something. We beat them that day and I probably scored about 27 points, but in comparison, Kobe had about 40 points. He also cried foul a lot in that game , but we ended up coming out on top. I remember when I heard Kobe was going into the NBA draft thinking, ‘Hey, we beat that guy!’” (Source)

 College

Raki would go on to sign to a college football powerhouse called University of  Notre Dame. This is where Raki learned valuable lessons from a very demanding coach in Lou Holtz. Raki became one of Notre Dame’s best players and landed himself a spot of an all time great. Raki captured over 1,000 yards receiving and is the number 33 player on Notre Dame’s list, but this wasn’t the only thing Mr. Nelson received from the program. Raki would understand what it meant to be dedicated, trustworthy, respectful, and committed to the team and to doing right in life from coach Holtz. He recalls a specific scenario in detail. 

Raki Nelson: Quoted

“It was ’96, my freshman year, we were just wrapping up practice and Coach Holtz was making his final remarks about practice. I was goofing off a little bit, telling my friends something, and while Coach was still talking, I said something funny and burst out laughing. Everyone froze. ‘Who was that??’ And then the red sea parted, and there I was, exposed to Coach Holtz. Coach screamed, ‘Raki, get your butt up here!’ And he proceeded to chew me out, right there in front of everyone. He told me, as a result of my disturbance during his practice, I was not going to dress for the Boston College game. My stomach sank. My mom, dad, and my third-grade teacher were all coming in for the game. What was I going to do? But coach took care of everything, they all got their tickets. But me? I didn’t dress, and I watched the game from my dorm room. That was some lesson for me. When coach was talking, no one talked. It’s all about respect.” (Source)

 Lesson Learned

Lessons like these helped Raki get through his college career, and into the NFL for a short stint. The long battles on the field over the years had taken their toll on his body and Raki had to retire from the game he loved early. The years following saw Raki having some ups and downs, but never did they break his will to move forward in life.