DRAGON ATHLETICS
Staff
Karla Nelson, Head Coach
Creator of a classy basketball program that rivals the finest in NCAA Division II, Karla Nelson will launch her eighth season as head coach at Minnesota State University Moorhead this winter committed to capturing another Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference summit and flexing its might and muscle on the post-season level as well.
The fastest coach in MSU Moorhead basketball history to reach the 100-win plateau, Nelson has charted a 122-81 overall record during her first seven seasons at State. In 2004-05 Nelson and the Dragons claimed their first NSIC outright title, cracked the nation’s Top 25 for a first time and received a NCAA Division II regional tournament invitation. MSUM finished 24-7 overall and set a Dragon single season record for most victories. Nelson was saluted as the NSIC Coach of the Year and Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Region 7 Coach of the Year as well.
The first coach at MSUM to debut with back-to-back winning campaigns, Nelson and the Dragons made their first appearance in the NCAA Division II North Central Regional in 2003-04 and qualified for a third time last winter.
Nelson’s crew has made a major impact in the NSIC, collecting nine first team All-NSIC selections and six second team certificates since 2000, the largest harvest of any league school. MSUM has made a splash on the national level as well with Nelson at the helm. The Dragons of 2004-05 led the nation in rebounding for a second time in five years after a fifth place finish in 2003-04.
Nelson prodded her first club to a 15-12 overall record in 2000-01, the first winning season at MSUM in six years that also included a NSIC playoff invitation. MSU Moorhead exited with a 15-13 record and a trip to the NSIC Final four in Nelson’s second season. In 2002-03 MSU Moorhead made another serious bid for the NSIC title, finishing 16-12 overall and 13-5 in league play, and closed 16-13 overall with an 8-8 NSIC mark the next winter. MSUM followed with 24-7, 15-14 and 21-10 records.
Nelson spent six seasons as the Dragons’ number one assistant under Jean Roise from 1994-2000. When Roise resigned in March of 2000, MSU Moorhead Director of Athletics Dr. Katy Wilson quickly promoted Nelson to the top post.
In addition to her basketball duties at MSUM, Nelson served as head softball coach at MSU Moorhead for five seasons. She inherited a program in serious decline in 1996 and patiently coaxed the young Dragons to a surprising 21-19 finish that included a sparkling 9-5 NSIC record.
Much of Nelson’s coaching pedigree can be traced to her alma mater, University of North Dakota. A four-year basketball letterwinner, Nelson was a three-year fixture in the Sioux backcourt. Nelson and the Sioux built a 22-6 record and qualified for the NCAA Division II playoffs as a junior and finished 19-9 as a senior. Nelson was twice honored as UND’s Best Defensive Player.
Nelson enjoyed a rewarding schoolgirl career at Erskine High School, excelling in basketball and volleyball. A four-time All-Northern Plains Conference basketball pick, Nelson scored 1,152 points, the first Erskine athlete to reach the magical 1,000-point plateau. Nelson was decorated as “Athlete of the Year” at Erskine High as a senior.
A recreation major, Nelson obtained an undergraduate degree from North Dakota and a Master’s Degree from North Dakota State University in Health Education. Before answering the call from Moorhead State, Nelson was a member of the coaching staff at East Grand Forks and Grand Forks Public Schools for three years.
