By: KSU Sports Information Department
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ATLANTA – Kennesaw State alumnus and professional golfer Larry Nelson was inducted into the Atlanta Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday evening along with former Atlanta Braves pitcher Tom Glavine, NFL veteran Bill Curry and longtime SW DeKalb football coach Buck Godfrey.
The glamorous affair at the Rialto Center for the Performing Arts saw Nelson introduced by legendary Atlanta sports writer Furman Bisher and was presented with his Hall of Fame plaque by Kennesaw State President, Dr. Dan Papp, who had arrived at the event straight from a flight from Italy.
Nelson is the first-ever Kennesaw State alumnus inducted into the Atlanta Sports Hall of Fame since its inception in 2005 and he becomes the fourth golfer to be enshrined, joining legendary professional Bobby Jones, top amateur Tommy Barnes and LPGA founder Louise Suggs.
Nelson, winner of three major championships during his career, graduated from then Kennesaw State College in 1970 with a degree in mathematics. He has close to 30 tournament wins in his professional career. He won the 1981 PGA Championship at the Atlanta Athletic Club and repeated the feat in 1987 at the PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. He won his the most prestigious title in 1983 when he took the U.S. Open Championship at the famed Oakmont Country Club.
A three-time Ryder Cup team member, Nelson has often been considered one of the best U.S. players to compete in the Ryder Cup. He is the only golfer in Ryder Cup history to go 5-0, the best possible record, in single year, accomplishing the feat in 1979. He finished with a 9-3-1 career-record at the event, causing Tom Watson to claim that if he had one choice of an American golfer to play a must-win Ryder Cup match it would be Nelson.
The three fellow inductees included Curry, a native of Atlanta, who attended College Park High School, was an All-American at Georgia Tech and played at Georgia Tech before a 10-year NFL career, playing with the Green Bay Packers and Baltimore Colts. He also was a head coach for Georgia Tech, Alabama and Kentucky prior to starting the program at Georgia State head coach.
Glavine, a two-time Cy Young Award winner for the Atlanta Braves, was the Most Valuable Player of the 1995 World Series. Over his 17-year major league career, Glavine won 305 games, making him one of only 24 players to ever win 300 or more games and one of only six left-handers.
Godfrey is one of the most successful coaches in Georgia high school football, leading SW DeKalb to 250 wins and 24 playoff appearances in 27 years. he has also won 13 region titles and one state championship.
Nelson is also a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame and the Kennesaw State Sports Hall of Fame in which he was enshrined in 2009.
Larry Nelson Profile
Major Championships Wins (3)
1981 - PGA Championship | -7 (70-66-66-71=273) | 4 strokes over Fuzzy Zoeller
1983 - U.S. Open | -4 (75-73-65-67=280) | 1 stroke over Tom Watson
1987 - PGA Championship | -1 (70-72-73-72=287) | Playoff over Lanny Wadkins
1Defeated Lanny Wadkins with a par on the first extra hole.
PGA Tour wins (10)
1. 3/11/79 - Jackie Gleason-Inverrary Classic -14 (67-69-67-71=274) 3 strokes
2.7/8/79 - Western Open -2 (71-69-70-76=286) Playoff Ben Crenshaw
3. 6/8/80 - Atlanta Classic -18 (66-69-68-67=270) 7 strokes
4. 4/5/81 - Greater Greensboro Open -7 (69-68-69-75=281) Playoff Mark Hayes
5. 8/9/91 - PGA Championship -7 (70-66-66-71=273) 4 strokes Fuzzy Zoeller
6. 6/19/83 - U.S. Open -4 (75-73-65-67=280) 1 stroke Tom Watson
7. 10/21/84 - Walt Disney World/Olds Classic -22 (66-66-64-70=266) 1 stroke
8. 8/9/87 - PGA Championship -1 ( 70-72-73-72=287) Playoff Lanny Wadkins
9. 10/18/87 - Walt Disney World/Olds Classic -20 (68-69-68-63=268) 1 stroke
10. 6/1/88 - Georgia-Pacific/Atl. Golf Classic -20 (63-66-66-73=268) 1 stroke
Japan Golf Tour wins (4)
1980 - Tokai Classic
1983 - Dunlop International Open
1989 - Suntory Open
1991 - Dunlop Phoenix
Other wins (2)
1978 - Georgia Open
1988 - PGA Grand Slam of Golf (United States - unofficial event)
Champions Tour wins (19)
1998 (3) - American Express Invitational, Pittsburgh Senior Classic, Boone Valley Classic
1999 (2) - GTE Classic, Bruno's Memorial Classic
2000 (6) - Las Vegas Senior Classic, Boone Valley Classic, FleetBoston Classic, Foremost Insurance Championship, Bank One Senior Championship, Vantage Championship
2001 (5) - MasterCard Championship, Royal Caribbean Classic, FleetBoston Classic, Farmers Charity Classic, SBC Championship
2003 (1) - Constellation Energy Classic
2004 (2) - FedEx Kinko's Classic, Administaff Small Business Classic
Other senior wins (5)
1998 - Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge (with Hale Irwin and Gil Morgan)
1999 - Chrysler Senior Match Play Challenge
2004 - Office Depot Father/Son Challenge (with son Drew)
2007 - Del Webb Father/Son Challenge (with son Josh)
2008 - Del Webb Father/Son Challenge (with son Drew)
