Gifford Nielsen Season 1973

A first-team All-American in 1976, Nielsen led the NCAA in TD passes and passing yards and was second in total offense in 1976. He finished sixth in the 1976 Heisman voting and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1994.

Nicknamed the “Mormon Rifle,” Gifford Nielsen became BYU’s first Hall of Fame inductee in 1994. His prolific passing career began when he came off the bench in the third game of his sophomore season to lead the Cougars to a 16-15 come-from-behind win over New Mexico by completing 10 of 12 passes. As a junior in 1976, Nielsen really made fans sit up and notice. He passed for 3,192 yards and 29 touchdowns, set 13 WAC records and made All-America. The next season promised even more. He threw five touchdown passes against New Mexico, six against Utah State and was twice named Player of the Week. For the first time, a BYU football team was nationally ranked. “It was like a little dream world,” said Nielsen, a product of Provo High School. “The numbers were just mind-boggling. Everything you could ever dream of as a kid in Provo, Utah, was in the palm of my hand.” On Oct. 8, 1977, his season and college career ended when he suffered a serious injury. Over three years Nielsen averaged an astounding 243 yards passing per game. Nielsen played six years with the Houston Oilers and was the last quarterback to lead the Oilers to the AFC finals. He and his wife Wendy have six children.

Personal

• Born in Provo, Utah
• Parents are Stan and Lois
• Dad is a former BYU athlete
• Married Wendy Olson, who was a cheerleader at both Provo High and at BYU
• Public relations major
• Daughter is Kacey

Career Highlights

• Played basketball for BYU on the varsity squad for his first two years
• Led the Cougars to a 28-14 homecoming victory over the Air Force Academy in his first start at quarterback
• Led the nation in three passing categories, broke thirteen school records and set thirteen WAC records
• Came in sixth nationally in the voting for the Heisman Trophy his junior year
• Named by the NCAA as a member of the College Athletics' Top Five in 1978

Before BYU

• An all-state athlete in basketball and football at Provo High
• All-America mention
• Named the Outstanding Athlete in Utah his senior year
• Won two football letters, three in basketball, three in golf
• Played quarterback
• Had a 3.3 GPA
• Coached by Bry Lake (BYU) and Dick Hill (BYU)

After BYU

• Drafted by the NFL's Houston Oilers and played with them for six years

Post BYU Honors and Societies

• Inducted into the BYU Hall of Fame in 1987

Hall of Fame

1987 BYU Hall of Fame

While a student at Provo High School, Gifford Nielsen was a shining example of athletic prowess: all-state in football, all-state and state most valuable player in basketball, and all-region in golf. It's not surprising that he was named the Outstanding Athlete in Utah his senior year (1972-73).

Coming to BYU, Gifford continued with both basketball and football, playing on the varsity squad for both sports his first two years. After that, it was football all the way. The first game in which he started, in the quarterback position, was BYU's Centennial game in October 1975, where he led the Cougars to a 28-14 homecoming victory over the Air Force Academy.

During that season and the first half of the next Gifford led the nation in three passing categories, broke 13 school records, and set 13 Western Athletic Conference records. He came in sixth nationally in the voting for the Heisman Trophy his junior year, and was a good bet for winning it the next when an injury in a game against Oregon State in 1976 ended his collegiate career. His support and coaching of replacement quarterback Marc Wilson was recognized as a great example of sportsmanlike behavior, and contributed to his being named by the NCAA as a member of the College Athletics' Top Five in 1978, one whose "contributions to society go well beyond the playing field."

Other honors garnered by Gifford during his years at BYU were the WAC Freshman of the Year, WAC All-Academic and All-WAC, the Dale Rex and Ed Stein Awards, the Sports Writers All-American Team, and the UPI All-American Second Team - the first native Utahn to be named an All-American.

Drafted by the NFL's Houston Oilers, Gifford played with them for six years.

From 1984-87 he served as a color commentator on the Oilers' radio broadcasts. Nielsen was also the sports director at CBS affiliate KHOU in Houston from 1984-09.

In 1994 Nielsen was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame and in 2003 was given the NCAA Silver Anniversary Award for 25 years of distinguished service after his college athletic career.

Nielsen served as a General Authority Seventy for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 2013 to 2024. As a Seventy, Nielsen served in regional Church administration throughout the U.S., South Pacific and West Africa.

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