Not sure why, but I've been thinking about him lately. I am not a personal friend. I just happened to attend BYU during his football years. I'll try to mention some facts that may not be widely known by younger BYU fans.
Where did the name "Gifford" come from? Gifford's father was a big Frank Gifford fan. (running back NY Giants) He named his son after him.
Gifford didn't see much action in 1974. The great Gary Sheidi led the team that year. Sheidi led BYU to its first bowl game ever, The Fiesta Bowl. However, Nielsen saw action with the basketball team. He was a member of the basketball team his first two years at BYU. They missed him when he decided to concentrate on football.
1975- BYU lost its first 3 games. BYU played New Mexico at home in its fourth game. New Mexico led at halftime. The BYU offense sputtered and things looked bleak. Enter Gifford Nielson. I was there. The difference in the offense was like night and day. BYU rallied and won the game. Nielsen got his first BYU football start the next game against Air Force. It was another win. BYU finished the season going 6-5 after a rough start.
1976- A stellar season for BYU. The team won 9 games, including a 43-21 thumping of Arizona State. Everything was set up for a terrific 1977 season, Gifford's senior year.
1977- Electricity in the air! BYU was getting national hype. No one had a passing offense like BYU's. Gifford Nielsen was a serious contender for the Heisman Trophy. BYU started the season with three absolute blowout wins and things couldn't have looked better. (39-0 Kansas State, 65-6 Utah State, 54-19 New Mexico) Then came the Oregon State game. It was a close game. Late in the 4th quarter Nielsen went down with a serious knee injury. His senior year had tragically ended and BYU lost the game. More importantly BYU had lost its star QB. There was lots of gloom and doom for awhile among the fans. Tears were shed from young boys to old men. Thanks to the abilities of Marc Wilson, and Gifford's sideline coaching help, BYU went on to have a great season finishing at 9-2.
Gifford's #14 jersey was retired Sept 1, 2007 along with another guy I think you've heard of, TY DETMER.
Nielsen came back from his knee surgery with a fine NFL career with the then Houston Oilers. I've listed his BYU football profile below for anyone interested. He is now a Seventy for the LDS church.
http://byucougars.com/athlete/m-football/gifford-nielsen