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Hersey names Nelson its new head coach

Hersey High School has named Tom Nelson as the eighth head football coach in school history.

Nelson, who has coached at the school since 2013, takes over for Joe Pardun, who stepped down in December to spend more time with his family.

Nelson graduated from Hersey in 2005, where he participated in three sports. He played football at Illinois State University and 24 games in the NFL for Cincinnati and Philadelphia from 2009-2011. He also spent time with the Bears, Carolina and Baltimore.

At Hersey, he has served roles as a defensive backs coach, special teams coordinator and most recently, offensive coordinator.

"We are confident Tom's leadership will continue to develop the successful culture built under Coach Joe Pardun," said Hersey athletic director Steve Messer in making the announcement via email.

In his eight seasons, Pardun's teams went 50-27. His teams were Mid-Suburban League East champions twice and went 24-10 in the conference.

Pardun's teams also qualified for the state playoffs five times in the seven years they were held. In three of those seasons, the Huskies made it to the quarterfinals.

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