Gifford Nielsen

Stanley Gifford Nielsen is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback for the Houston Oilers of the National Football League. He was the sports director of KHOU in Houston from 1984 until March 31, 2009. He has been a general authority of the [Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints] since April 2013.

Football career

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

Nielsen remained in Provo and attended Brigham Young University, where he was an 1976 [College Football All-America Team#Quarterbacks|All-American] quarterback for the Cougars football|Cougars] under head coach LaVell Edwards. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1994.

Nielsen was selected in the third round of the 1978 NFL draft by the Houston Oilers season|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 [Houston Oilers season|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.

Nielsen was the sports director at CBS affiliate KHOU in Houston from 1984 to 2009. He also made an appearance in P.D.Q. Bach in Houston: We Have a Problem! as a color commentator alongside Peter Schickele during a sketch of Beethoven's Fifth, in which the performance was done as if it were a mock football/hockey game.

Nielsen has served in the LDS Church in many capacities, including elders quorum president, bishop, president of the Houston Texas South Stake, mission president's counselor, and area seventy. He was released as an area seventy on April 6, 2013, and called as a general authority and member of the First Quorum of the Seventy. Among his assignments, Nielsen served for a time in the presidency of the church's Pacific Area. In August 2019, Nielsen was called as the president of the church's North America Central Area. Since August 2023, he has been serving as the president of the church's Africa West Area.

Nielsen was the master of ceremonies at the "100 Years of Scouting" celebration at Minute Maid Park in Texas.