Brad Nelson is entering his ninth season with the Panthers. He also serves as the recruiting and scheduling coordinator for UNI. Nelson works primarily with the Panthers offense and also assists with scouting for games and all facets of practice.

Nelson served as assistant head coach at Cedar Falls High School from 1997-99, helping the team to back-to-back Iowa State Tournament semifinal appearances. His 1998-99 team set an Iowa state record by averaging 85.9 points and finished 23-3. That squad, which contained Panther players Amy Swisher, Emily Berry and Kim Hansen, was nationally ranked by USA Today for its first time in school history. Nelson also coached another Panther, Alex Cook, when she was at Cedar Falls High.

Prior to working at Cedar Falls High, Nelson served as an assistant coach at St. Ambrose University in 1995-96, where his team won regular-season and conference tournament championships while advancing to the NAIA Division II national quarterfinals.

While earning his Business Management degree from the University of Oregon, Nelson was head manager for the Ducks' men's basketball team from 1990-94. While in Eugene, he spent two years working under former Tennessee coach Jerry Green, and two years under 1981 National Coach of the Year Don Monson.

Nelson and his wife, Jenny, have four children: 11-year-old daughter Bailey, nine-year-old twin boys Brandon and Jacob, and four-year-old son Jordan.