Gifford Nielsen

S. Gifford Nielsen
S. Gifford Nielsen
First Quorum of the Seventy
	April 6, 2013
Called by	Thomas S. Monson
Personal details
Born	Stanley Gifford Nielsen; October 25, 1954 (age 69); Provo, Utah, U.S.
Spouse(s)	Wendy Olson (m. 1975)
Children	6
	Biography portal LDS movement portal
	Biography portal LDS movement portal

Passing attempts:	498
Passing completions:	273
Completion percentage:	54.8%
TD–INT:	20–22
Passing yards:	3,255
Passer rating:	70
Rushing yards:	89

Gifford Nielsen
	Nielsen in 2018
No. 14
Position:	Quarterback
Personal information
Born:	October 25, 1954 (age 69); Provo, Utah, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:	205 lb (93 kg)
Career information
High school:	Provo
College:	BYU (1977–1979)
NFL draft:	1978 / Round: 3 / Pick: 73
Career history
	Houston Oilers (1978–1983);
Career highlights and awards
	WAC Offensive Player of the Year (1976); First-team All-American (1976); BYU Cougars No. 14 retired;
Career NFL statistics
Passing attempts:
Passing attempts:	498
Passing completions:	273
Completion percentage:	54.8%
TD–INT:	20–22
Passing yards:	3,255
Passer rating:	70
Rushing yards:	89
	Player stats at NFL.com · PFR
	College Football Hall of Fame

Stanley Gifford Nielsen (born October 25, 1954) is an American former football quarterback who played professionally for the Houston Oilers of the National Football League (NFL). He was the sports director of KHOU in Houston from 1984 until March 31, 2009.^[1] He has been a general authority of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) since April 2013.

Football career

High school career

Nielsen grew up in Provo, Utah, and attended Provo High School, playing as the school's quarterback.

College career

Nielsen remained in Provo and attended Brigham Young University, where he was an All-American quarterback for the Cougars under head coach LaVell Edwards. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1994.

NFL career

Nielsen was selected in the

1978 NFL Draft (73rd overall) by the Houston Oilers

, the team with which he spent his entire NFL career, six seasons as a part-time quarterback.

Nielsen served as backup to Dan Pastorini in 1978 and 1979 and to Ken Stabler in 1980 and 1981. He played the most games in his last two seasons, 1982–1983, when he shared quarterbacking duties with Archie Manning and Oliver Luck.

From 1984 to 1987, he served as a color commentator on Oilers radio broadcasts.

TV Sports Anchor

Nielsen was the sports director at

Beethoven's Fifth

, in which the performance was done as if it were a mock football/hockey game.

LDS Church service

Nielsen has served in the LDS Church in many capacities, including

First Quorum of the Seventy. Among his assignments, Nielsen served for a time in the presidency of the church's Pacific Area. Since August 2019, Nielsen has been the president of the church's North America Central Area.^[2]