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Roger Nelson (1955-2003)

Roger Nelson[1], skydiving legend and founder of Skydive Chicago[2], the nation's largest skydiving training center.

Roger and his older brother, Carl Nelson, grew up in the small town of Lisle, Illinois, and began their skydiving careers in 1971 as novice parachutists at a "drop-zone" surrounded by cornfields in Hinckley, Illinois. At the time, "RW" or formation skydiving was in its infancy. Carl and Roger Nelson[3], unlike most skydivers at the time, were not ex-military and had the '70s "hippie" look, with long hair and grubby clothes. They became known as the "Freak Brothers." The name stuck. A form of flying that they later popularized (anything that was not belly to earth) became known as "freak-flying" - eventually morphing into "freeflying." The Freak Brothers[4] became an inclusive organization for skydivers, with thousands of "Freak Brothers" world wide.

From his humble beginnings, Roger Nelson went on to become captain of the U.S. Olympic skydiving team in 1982, and served as a director of the U.S. Parachute Association. He set four world records and earned a gold medal in national competition. With over 6,000 jumps and 100 hours of freefall, Roger was involved in television, lectures and authored numerous books and articles on the sport. He earned his wings as a commercial pilot with over 10,000 flight hours.

Roger's older brother, fellow "Freak Brother" Carl Nelson, an accomplished skydiver with over 1,000 jumps, was killed in a freak skydiving accident in 1979. 24 years later, in 2003, Roger Nelson was killed in another freak skydiving accident[5]. Roger was 48 years old when he died. He was parachuting with Todd Fey, 43, of Fargo, N.D., when Fey bumped into into Roger's parachute, causing it to collapse. Roger then fell about 50 feet to his death.