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Gifford Nielsen
Stanley Gifford Nielsen
Quarterback
6-5, 203 lbs
Provo, Utah
Born: October 25, 1954 in Provo, Utah (71-195)
High School: Provo HS
Draft: Houston Oilers in Round 3 of the 1978 NFL Draft
Nickname(s): Mormon Rifle
1976 Team Captain
1976 WAC Off. Player of the Year
1x All-WAC
3x WAC POTW
1x Dale Rex Memorial Trophy
BYU Athletic Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
Utah Sports Hall of Fame
14
Passing
| Season | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yd | Yd/Att | TD | INT | Lng | Eff | Sacked | Sack Yds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 110 | 180 | 61.1 | 1471 | 8.2 | 10 | 7 | 66 | 140.3 | 20 | 175 |
| 1976 | 231 | 406 | 56.9 | 3401 | 8.4 | 30 | 23 | 81 | 140.3 | 34 | 293 |
| 1977 | 98 | 156 | 62.8 | 1167 | 7.5 | 16 | 3 | 64 | 155.7 | 7 | 61 |
| Total | 439 | 742 | 59.2 | 6039 | 8.1 | 56 | 33 | 81 | 143.5 | 61 | 529 |
Rushing
| Season | Att | Yd | Yd/Att | TD | Lng |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 57 | -144 | -2.5 | 2 | 11 |
| 1976 | 83 | -266 | -3.2 | 1 | 11 |
| 1977 | 29 | -25 | -0.9 | 0 | 15 |
| Total | 169 | -435 | -2.6 | 3 | 15 |
Punting
| Season | No | Yd | Avg | Lng | Net Yd | Net Avg | In 20 | 50+ | TB | Blk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 7 | 277 | 39.6 | 61 | 277 | 39.6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 7 | 277 | 39.6 | 61 | 277 | 39.6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Scoring
| Season | Touchdowns | PAT | FGM | Sfty | Pts | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RshTD | RecTD | KRTD | PRTD | FRTD | IntTD | OthTD | AllTD | 2PM | XPM | ||||
| 1975 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| 1976 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Career | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 |
Participation
| Season | Class | No | Pos | Games | Starts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | RS | 14 | QB | 1 | |
| 1975 | R-SO | 14 | QB | 9 | 7 |
| 1976 | R-JR | 14 | QB | 12 | 12 |
| 1977 | R-SR | 14 | QB | 4 | 4 |
| Total | 25 | 23 |
Roster History
| Season | Class | No | Pos |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | FR | 14 | QB |
| 1974 | RS | 14 | QB |
| 1975 | R-SO | 14 | QB |
| 1976 | R-JR | 14 | QB |
| 1977 | R-SR | 14 | QB |
Passing
| Date | Site | Opponent | Result | GS | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Yds/Att | TD | INT | Long | Eff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 27, 1975 | A | ASU | L 0-20 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 36.4 | 38 | 3.5 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 47.2 |
| Oct 3, 1975 | H | UNM | W 16-15 | 0 | 10 | 12 | 83.3 | 148 | 12.3 | 2 | 0 | 37 | 241.9 |
| Oct 11, 1975 | H | AFA | W 28-14 | 1 | 14 | 19 | 73.7 | 229 | 12.1 | 1 | 1 | 30 | 181.8 |
| Oct 25, 1975 | A | WYO | W 33-20 | 1 | 9 | 19 | 47.4 | 159 | 8.4 | 1 | 1 | 41 | 124.5 |
| Nov 1, 1975 | H | ARIZ | L 20-36 | 1 | 27 | 44 | 61.4 | 387 | 8.8 | 2 | 2 | 66 | 141.2 |
| Nov 8, 1975 | A | USU | W 24-7 | 1 | 15 | 24 | 62.5 | 139 | 5.8 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 138.7 |
| Nov 15, 1975 | H | UTAH | W 51-20 | 1 | 10 | 15 | 66.7 | 150 | 10.0 | 1 | 1 | 46 | 159.3 |
| Nov 22, 1975 | A | UTEP | W 20-10 | 1 | 13 | 24 | 54.2 | 157 | 6.5 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 109.1 |
| Nov 29, 1975 | A | USM | L 14-42 | 1 | 8 | 12 | 66.7 | 64 | 5.3 | 1 | 1 | 19 | 122.3 |
| Sep 11, 1976 | A | KSU | L 3-13 | 1 | 15 | 29 | 51.7 | 142 | 4.9 | 0 | 2 | 24 | 79.1 |
| Sep 18, 1976 | H | CSU | W 42-18 | 1 | 13 | 33 | 39.4 | 172 | 5.2 | 4 | 1 | 35 | 117.1 |
| Sep 25, 1976 | A | ARIZ | W 23-16 | 1 | 18 | 28 | 64.3 | 200 | 7.1 | 2 | 1 | 43 | 140.7 |
| Oct 2, 1976 | A | SDSU | W 8-0 | 1 | 10 | 25 | 40.0 | 80 | 3.2 | 0 | 2 | 17 | 50.9 |
| Oct 9, 1976 | H | WYO | L 29-34 | 1 | 24 | 42 | 57.1 | 324 | 7.7 | 3 | 2 | 65 | 136.0 |
| Oct 16, 1976 | H | USM | W 63-19 | 1 | 23 | 31 | 74.2 | 445 | 14.4 | 3 | 2 | 68 | 213.8 |
| Oct 23, 1976 | H | USU | W 45-14 | 1 | 28 | 48 | 58.3 | 468 | 9.8 | 5 | 2 | 44 | 166.3 |
| Oct 30, 1976 | H | ASU | W 43-21 | 1 | 20 | 37 | 54.1 | 339 | 9.2 | 2 | 2 | 81 | 138.0 |
| Nov 6, 1976 | H | UTEP | W 40-27 | 1 | 15 | 29 | 51.7 | 319 | 11.0 | 4 | 1 | 60 | 182.7 |
| Nov 13, 1976 | A | UNM | W 21-8 | 1 | 17 | 35 | 48.6 | 288 | 8.2 | 3 | 1 | 44 | 140.3 |
| Nov 20, 1976 | A | UTAH | W 34-12 | 1 | 25 | 35 | 71.4 | 415 | 11.9 | 3 | 3 | 41 | 182.2 |
| Dec 18, 1976 | B | OKST | L 21-49 | 1 | 23 | 34 | 67.6 | 209 | 6.1 | 1 | 4 | 27 | 105.5 |
| Sep 10, 1977 | H | KSU | W 39-0 | 1 | 27 | 45 | 60.0 | 318 | 7.1 | 2 | 0 | 34 | 134.0 |
| Sep 24, 1977 | A | USU | W 65-6 | 1 | 30 | 40 | 75.0 | 321 | 8.0 | 6 | 0 | 33 | 191.9 |
| Sep 30, 1977 | H | UNM | W 54-19 | 1 | 19 | 23 | 82.6 | 273 | 11.9 | 5 | 0 | 64 | 254.1 |
| Oct 8, 1977 | A | ORST | L 19-24 | 1 | 22 | 48 | 45.8 | 255 | 5.3 | 3 | 3 | 26 | 98.6 |
Rushing
| Date | Site | Opponent | Result | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Lng |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 27, 1975 | A | ASU | L 0-20 | 0 | 2 | -17 | -8.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 3, 1975 | H | UNM | W 16-15 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 1.5 | 0 | 6 |
| Oct 11, 1975 | H | AFA | W 28-14 | 1 | 12 | -9 | -0.8 | 0 | 11 |
| Oct 25, 1975 | A | WYO | W 33-20 | 1 | 11 | 1 | 0.1 | 0 | 7 |
| Nov 1, 1975 | H | ARIZ | L 20-36 | 1 | 6 | -20 | -3.3 | 1 | 4 |
| Nov 8, 1975 | A | USU | W 24-7 | 1 | 7 | -33 | -4.7 | 0 | 8 |
| Nov 15, 1975 | H | UTAH | W 51-20 | 1 | 6 | -12 | -2.0 | 1 | 6 |
| Nov 22, 1975 | A | UTEP | W 20-10 | 1 | 5 | -46 | -9.2 | 0 | 1 |
| Nov 29, 1975 | A | USM | L 14-42 | 1 | 4 | -14 | -3.5 | 0 | 7 |
| Sep 11, 1976 | A | KSU | L 3-13 | 1 | 7 | -15 | -2.1 | 0 | 7 |
| Sep 18, 1976 | H | CSU | W 42-18 | 1 | 7 | -56 | -8.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 25, 1976 | A | ARIZ | W 23-16 | 1 | 9 | -12 | -1.3 | 0 | 3 |
| Oct 2, 1976 | A | SDSU | W 8-0 | 1 | 6 | -12 | -2.0 | 0 | 6 |
| Oct 9, 1976 | H | WYO | L 29-34 | 1 | 9 | -34 | -3.8 | 0 | 8 |
| Oct 16, 1976 | H | USM | W 63-19 | 1 | 4 | -6 | -1.5 | 0 | 3 |
| Oct 23, 1976 | H | USU | W 45-14 | 1 | 4 | -13 | -3.3 | 0 | 4 |
| Oct 30, 1976 | H | ASU | W 43-21 | 1 | 5 | -15 | -3.0 | 0 | 11 |
| Nov 6, 1976 | H | UTEP | W 40-27 | 1 | 7 | -35 | -5.0 | 0 | 7 |
| Nov 13, 1976 | A | UNM | W 21-8 | 1 | 13 | -50 | -3.8 | 0 | 10 |
| Nov 20, 1976 | A | UTAH | W 34-12 | 1 | 6 | -24 | -4.0 | 1 | 6 |
| Dec 18, 1976 | B | OKST | L 21-49 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 1.0 | 0 | 7 |
| Sep 10, 1977 | H | KSU | W 39-0 | 1 | 7 | -21 | -3.0 | 0 | 4 |
| Sep 24, 1977 | A | USU | W 65-6 | 1 | 5 | 16 | 3.2 | 0 | 10 |
| Sep 30, 1977 | H | UNM | W 54-19 | 1 | 8 | -1 | -0.1 | 0 | 15 |
| Oct 8, 1977 | A | ORST | L 19-24 | 1 | 9 | -19 | -2.1 | 0 | 12 |
Participation
| Date | Site | Opponent | Result | GS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 28, 1974 | A | ISU | L 7-34 | |
| Sep 27, 1975 | A | ASU | L 0-20 | 0 |
| Oct 3, 1975 | H | UNM | W 16-15 | 0 |
| Oct 11, 1975 | H | AFA | W 28-14 | 1 |
| Oct 25, 1975 | A | WYO | W 33-20 | 1 |
| Nov 1, 1975 | H | ARIZ | L 20-36 | 1 |
| Nov 8, 1975 | A | USU | W 24-7 | 1 |
| Nov 15, 1975 | H | UTAH | W 51-20 | 1 |
| Nov 22, 1975 | A | UTEP | W 20-10 | 1 |
| Nov 29, 1975 | A | USM | L 14-42 | 1 |
| Sep 11, 1976 | A | KSU | L 3-13 | 1 |
| Sep 18, 1976 | H | CSU | W 42-18 | 1 |
| Sep 25, 1976 | A | ARIZ | W 23-16 | 1 |
| Oct 2, 1976 | A | SDSU | W 8-0 | 1 |
| Oct 9, 1976 | H | WYO | L 29-34 | 1 |
| Oct 16, 1976 | H | USM | W 63-19 | 1 |
| Oct 23, 1976 | H | USU | W 45-14 | 1 |
| Oct 30, 1976 | H | ASU | W 43-21 | 1 |
| Nov 6, 1976 | H | UTEP | W 40-27 | 1 |
| Nov 13, 1976 | A | UNM | W 21-8 | 1 |
| Nov 20, 1976 | A | UTAH | W 34-12 | 1 |
| Dec 18, 1976 | B | OKST | L 21-49 | 1 |
| Sep 10, 1977 | H | KSU | W 39-0 | 1 |
| Sep 24, 1977 | A | USU | W 65-6 | 1 |
| Sep 30, 1977 | H | UNM | W 54-19 | 1 |
| Oct 8, 1977 | A | ORST | L 19-24 | 1 |
Passing
| Season | Team | Lg | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Y/A | TD | Int | Rat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Houston Oilers | NFL | 2 | 4 | 50.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 43.8 |
| 1979 | Houston Oilers | NFL | 32 | 61 | 52.5 | 404 | 6.6 | 3 | 3 | 69.3 |
| 1980 | Houston Oilers | NFL | 2 | 4 | 50.0 | 12 | 3.0 | 1 | 0 | 139.6 |
| 1981 | Houston Oilers | NFL | 60 | 93 | 64.5 | 709 | 7.6 | 5 | 3 | 92.1 |
| 1982 | Houston Oilers | NFL | 87 | 161 | 54.0 | 1005 | 6.2 | 6 | 8 | 64.8 |
| 1983 | Houston Oilers | NFL | 90 | 175 | 51.4 | 1125 | 6.4 | 5 | 8 | 62.2 |
| NFL | 273 | 498 | 54.8 | 3255 | 6.5 | 20 | 22 | 70.0 |
Rushing
| Season | Team | Lg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Houston Oilers | NFL | 5 | 7 | 1.4 | 0 |
| 1980 | Houston Oilers | NFL | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| 1981 | Houston Oilers | NFL | 6 | 2 | 0.3 | 0 |
| 1982 | Houston Oilers | NFL | 9 | 37 | 4.1 | 0 |
| 1983 | Houston Oilers | NFL | 8 | 43 | 5.4 | 0 |
| NFL | 29 | 89 | 3.1 | 0 |
Passing
| Season | Team | Lg | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Y/A | TD | Int | Rat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Houston Oilers | NFL | 13 | 24 | 54.2 | 129 | 5.4 | 1 | 2 | 48.8 |
| NFL | 13 | 24 | 54.2 | 129 | 5.4 | 1 | 2 | 48.8 |
Rushing
| Season | Team | Lg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Houston Oilers | NFL | 1 | -3 | -3.0 | 0 |
| 1979 | Houston Oilers | NFL | 2 | 12 | 6.0 | 0 |
| NFL | 3 | 9 | 3.0 | 0 |
Passing
| Season | Team | Lg | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Y/A | TD | Int | Rat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Houston Oilers | NFL | 11 | 17 | 64.7 | 84 | 4.9 | 0 | 0 | 76.6 |
| 1979 | Houston Oilers | NFL | 37 | 62 | 59.7 | 397 | 6.4 | 2 | 2 | 75.8 |
| 1980 | Houston Oilers | NFL | 7 | 11 | 63.6 | 27 | 2.5 | 0 | 0 | 65.3 |
| 1981 | Houston Oilers | NFL | 28 | 43 | 65.1 | 277 | 6.4 | 0 | 0 | 83.2 |
| 1982 | Houston Oilers | NFL | 53 | 95 | 55.8 | 633 | 6.7 | 5 | 4 | 76.3 |
| 1983 | Houston Oilers | NFL | 24 | 49 | 49.0 | 271 | 5.5 | 1 | 3 | 47.2 |
| NFL | 160 | 277 | 57.8 | 1689 | 6.1 | 8 | 9 | 71.7 |
Rushing
| Season | Team | Lg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Houston Oilers | NFL | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| NFL | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Date | Team | League | Transaction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 1, 1981 | Houston Oilers | NFL | Placed on injured reserve |
- 1977 - Torn MCL on Oct. 8. Missed rest of season.
Basketball
| Season | Pos | Cl | G | GS | MP | FG | FT | REB | AST | TOV | PF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973-74 | FR | 36 | 10 | 274 | 40-104 | 46-68 | 48 | 26 | 18 | 38 | 126 | |
| 1974-75 | G/F | SO | 26 | 20 | 607 | 88-179 | 50-68 | 94 | 99 | 26 | 89 | 226 |