- Gifford Nielsen
NFL player
Name=Gifford Nielsen
DateOfBirth=Birth date and age|1954|10|25|mf=y
Birthplace=Provo, Utah
DateofDeath=
Position=Quarterback
number=14
College=Brigham Young
DraftedYear=1978
DraftedRound=3 / Pick 73
Stats=Y
DatabaseFootball=NIELSGIF01
PFR=NielGi00
years=1978-1983
teams=Houston Oilers
CollegeHOF=70016Gifford Nielsen is a former
NFL and All-American college football quarterback. He is currently the sports director atKHOU-TV in Houston, TX.College career
Gifford was an All-American quarterback at
Brigham Young University (BYU) under legendary coachLaVell Edwards . Nielsen was one of a string of stellar BYU quarterbacks in the 70's and 80's; others includedGary Sheide ,Marc Wilson ,Jim McMahon , Steve Young,Robbie Bosco andTy Detmer .He was inducted into the
College Football Hall of Fame in 1994.NFL career
Nielsen was selected in the third round of the 1978 NFL draft by the
Houston Oilers , the team with which he spent his entire NFL career. Nielsen played six seasons as a part-time quarterback. He served as backup toDan Pastorini in 1978-79 and toKen Stabler in 1980-81. He saw the most action in his last two seasons, 1982-83, when he shared quarterbacking duties withArchie Manning andOliver Luck .One of the highlights of Nielsen's career came in a playoff game against the heavily-favored
San Diego Chargers on December 29, 1979. The Oilers' offense was decimated by injuries to key players, including Hall of Fame RBEarl Campbell and QB Pastorini. Nielsen filled in at quarterback, and the Oilers prevailed against all expectations, winning 17-14. This was to be Nielsen's only postseason game as a starter; Pastorini returned for the following week's conference championship game against Pittsburgh.External links
* [http://www.khou.com/insidekhou/newsteam/gnielsen.html KHOU page]
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