Murry Nelson

Murry Nelson is Professor Emeritus of Education and American Studies at Penn State University and a former Fulbright Scholar at the University of Iceland (1983), the Norwegian Ministry of Education and Church (1990-91) and the University of Debrecen in Hungary, where he held the Lazlo Orszagh Chair in American Studies (2007-08).

He is also a former public school teacher in Chicago. He holds M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Stanford University and is the author or editor of more than a dozen books and nearly 200 articles. The former include a social studies education methods text, Children and Social Studies, that was published in three editions and, most recently, a number of scholarly books on sports in American culture, including American Sports: A History of Icons, Idols and Ideas (2013).

Nelson has been married for 40 years, has two children and two grandchildren.