.jpg) Nielsen in 2018 | |||||||||||||||||
| No. 14 | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Quarterback | ||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1954-10-25)October 25, 1954 (age 71) Provo, Utah, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 205 lb (93 kg) | ||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||
| High school | Provo | ||||||||||||||||
| College | BYU (1977–1979) | ||||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1978: 3rd round, 73rd overall pick | ||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||||
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| S. Gifford Nielsen | |
|---|---|
| First Quorum of the Seventy | |
| April 6, 2013 (2013-04-06) | |
| Called by | Thomas S. Monson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Stanley Gifford Nielsen (1954-10-25)October 25, 1954 (age 71) Provo, Utah, U.S. |
| Spouse(s) | Wendy Olson (m. 1975) |
| Children | 6 |
Stanley Gifford Nielsen (born October 25, 1954) is an American former professionalfootball player who was aquarterback for theHouston Oilers of theNational Football League (NFL). He was the sports director ofKHOU inHouston from 1984 until March 31, 2009.[1] He has been ageneral authority ofthe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) since April 2013.
Nielsen grew up inProvo, Utah, and attendedProvo High School, playing as the school'squarterback.
Nielsen remained in Provo and attendedBrigham Young University, where he was anAll-American quarterback for theCougars under head coachLaVell Edwards. He was inducted into theCollege Football Hall of Fame in 1994.
Nielsen was selected in thethird round of the1978 NFL draft (73rd overall) by theHouston Oilers, the team with which he spent his entire NFL career, six seasons as a part-time quarterback.
Nielsen served as backup toDan Pastorini in1978 and1979 and toKen Stabler in1980 and1981. He played the most games in his last two seasons,1982–1983, when he shared quarterbacking duties withArchie Manning andOliver Luck.
From1984 to1987, he served as acolor commentator on Oilers radio broadcasts.
Nielsen was the sports director atCBS affiliateKHOU inHouston from 1984 to 2009. He also made an appearance inP.D.Q. Bach in Houston: We Have a Problem! as a color commentator alongsidePeter Schickele during a sketch ofBeethoven'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, includingelders quorum president,bishop,president of the Houston Texas SouthStake,mission president's counselor, andarea seventy. He was released as an area seventy on April 6, 2013, andcalled as a general authority and member of theFirst Quorum of the Seventy. Among his assignments, Nielsen served for a time in the presidency of the church's PacificArea. In August 2019, Nielsen was called as the president of the church's North America Central Area.[2] Since August 2023, he has been serving as the president of the church's Africa West Area.[3]
Nielsen was the master of ceremonies at the "100 Years of Scouting" celebration atMinute Maid Park in Texas.
