Gifford Nielsen is a former NFL quarterback who played for the Houston Oilers. He announced his retirement as the sports director of KHOU-TV

KHOU-TV

KHOU is the CBS affiliate television station in Houston, Texas. Serving Greater Houston, it is owned by the Belo Corporation and broadcasts on digital and PSIP channel 11...

 in Houston, TX, on March 30, 2009. His last newscast was Tuesday, March 31, 2009.

High School Career

Gifford grew up in Provo, Utah and attended Provo High School, playing as the schools quarterback before graduating and going across the street to BYU.

College career

Gifford was an All-American quarterback at Brigham Young University

Brigham Young University

Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...

 (BYU) under head coach LaVell Edwards

LaVell Edwards

R. LaVell Edwards is a former American football coach of Brigham Young University . With 257 career victories, he ranks as one of the most successful college football coaches of all time...

.

He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame

College Football Hall of Fame

The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...

 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 to Dan Pastorini

Dan Pastorini

Dante "Dan" Anthony Pastorini is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League for the Houston Oilers, Oakland Raiders, Los Angeles Rams, and the Philadelphia Eagles.-NFL career:...

 in 1978-79 and to Ken Stabler

Ken Stabler

Kenneth "Kenny" Michael Stabler , is a former American football quarterback in the NFL for the Oakland Raiders , the Houston Oilers , and the New Orleans Saints...

 in 1980-81. He played the most games in his last two seasons, 1982-83, when he shared quarterbacking duties with Archie Manning

Archie Manning

Elisha Archibald "Archie" Manning III is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League, playing for the New Orleans Saints from 1971 to 1982, then for the Houston Oilers and Minnesota Vikings...

 and Oliver Luck

Oliver Luck

Oliver Luck is the athletic director of West Virginia University, his alma mater. Luck is a retired American football player who spent four seasons in the National Football League as a quarterback for the Houston Oilers . He was also the first president and general manager of the Houston Dynamo...

. From 1984-87, he served as a color commentator

Color commentator

A color commentator is a sports commentator who assists the play-by-play announcer, often by filling in any time when play is not in progress. The color analyst and main commentator will often exchange comments freely throughout the broadcast, when the play-by-play announcer is not describing the...

 on Oilers radio broadcasts.

Church service

Gifford Nielsen served as President of the Houston Texas South Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He held that calling since 2009, but was recently called as an Area Seventy.

Scouting 100 year Anniversary

Giff Nielsen was the master of ceremonies at the "100 years of scouting" celebration at Minute Maid Park

Minute Maid Park

Minute Maid Park is a ballpark in Downtown Houston, Texas, United States that opened in 2000 to house the Major League Baseball Houston Astros....

 in Texas.

External links

• KHOU page

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