HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

William Keith Nelsen (January 29, 1941 – April 11, 2019) was a football player who played
quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...
collegiately for the
University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8. ...
and professionally for both the
Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Stee ...
and
Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...
. He was known for his leadership and willingness to play with pain, enduring a series of knee injuries during the course of his career. He later served as an assistant coach with four NFL teams.


College career

After playing one season of community college ball at
Cerritos College Cerritos College is a public community college in Norwalk, California. It offers degrees and certificates in 87 areas of study in nine divisions. History The college was founded in 1955. It was named after Rancho Los Cerritos, a local ...
in
California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...
, Nelsen moved on to USC, where he was a key player during his first two seasons, leading the squad in total offense in both 1960 and 1961. In 1962, he split time at the position with Pete Beathard, helping the team capture the national championship.


Professional career

Nelsen was drafted in the 10th round of the
1963 NFL Draft The 1963 National Football League draft was held at the Sheraton in Chicago, Illinois, on Monday, December 3, 1962. The first overall selection was quarterback Terry Baker of Oregon State, the Heisman Trophy winner, taken by the Los Angeles ...
by the Steelers, but saw limited action during his first two seasons. In 1965, new head coach Mike Nixon gave Nelsen the starting job. However, the struggling team finished 2-12, offering him little help, with Nelsen throwing for eight touchdowns, in addition to 17 interceptions. In the November 14, 1965 game against the
Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divis ...
, Nelsen suffered a knee injury that plagued him the remainder of that year; he underwent surgery after the season. The following season, Nelsen suffered a knee injury against the
Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at For ...
in the season's second game. Originally scheduled to be out of the lineup for six weeks, Nelsen did not return until the season's 12th week. The limited time on the field allowed him to set a league record for fewest interceptions (100 minimum passes) with just one on the campaign. In the season finale on December 18, he completed his final 11 passes to defeat the expansion Atlanta Falcons. In 1967, the injuries continued for Nelsen when during the closing moments of the September 24 game against the St. Louis Cardinals, he was injured following a tackle by Chuck Walker. He missed the next four games, but came off the bench to engineer a 14-10 comeback victory over the expansion New Orleans Saints on October 29. On May 14, 1968, Nelsen was traded, along with defensive back
Jim Bradshaw James Alfred Bradshaw (born January 13, 1939) is a former professional American football safety for five seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the National Football League (NFL). He graduated in 1958 from St. Clairsville High School and in 1963 ...
, to the Browns. In return, the
Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Stee ...
received quarterback Dick Shiner, defensive tackle Frank Parker and an undisclosed draft choice. The trade wound up helping both teams, as within a month into the season, both Nelsen and Shiner were starting at quarterback for their new clubs. After serving as Frank Ryan's backup for three games in 1968, Nelsen was elevated to the starting role, and quickly made his mark with a shocking 30-20 upset of the previously unbeaten
Baltimore Colts The Baltimore Colts were a professional American football team that played in Baltimore from its founding in 1953 to 1984. The team now plays in Indianapolis, as the Indianapolis Colts. The team was named for Baltimore's history of horse breed ...
on October 20. By the end of the season, Nelsen had led the team to the playoffs, winning nine of his 11 starts. In 1969, Nelsen had another strong season, leading the Browns to a 10-3-1 record and a postseason berth, as well as being selected to his first and only
Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...
. One week after throwing for five touchdowns in a 42-10 victory over the previously unbeaten
Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divis ...
on November 2, Nelsen spent a miserable afternoon against the
Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansio ...
on the losing end of a 51-3 score. In addition, he briefly left that game with a pinched nerve in his throwing arm, a malady which would trouble him for the rest of the season. In game two of the
1970 NFL season The 1970 NFL season was the 51st regular season of the National Football League, and the first one after the consummation of the AFL–NFL merger. The merged league realigned into two conferences: all 10 of the former AFL teams joined the Balti ...
, Nelsen took yet another hit to his knees in a September 27 game against the
San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
. The injury forced him out of the game and kept him on the sidelines the following week as well. After a mid-season slump, he was replaced for one game by rookie Mike Phipps, but returned to start the final five games. Unfortunately, the Browns dropped to a 7-7 mark and missed the postseason. In 1971, Nelsen led the Browns to four wins in their first five games, but another mid-season slump once again relegated him to the bench for one game. Unlike the previous year, however, Nelsen led the team to five straight victories to again reach the playoffs. Nelsen briefly won the starting job to start the 1972 season, but gave way to Phipps after a 26-10 loss to the
Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. It is the th ...
in the opening game. Weeks after the conclusion of the season, Nelsen underwent his fifth knee operation and announced his retirement. In 2012, the
Plain Dealer ''The Plain Dealer'' is the major newspaper of Cleveland, Ohio, United States. In fall 2019, it ranked 23rd in U.S. newspaper circulation, a significant drop since March 2013, when its circulation ranked 17th daily and 15th on Sunday. As of Ma ...
named Nelsen #52 on its list of the top 100 Browns of all time.


Coaching career

On February 14, 1973, he was hired as an assistant coach for the
New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
, but resigned after two years. After briefly considering the Browns' open head coaching slot, he accepted an assistant position with the Atlanta Falcons. He resigned that position following the dismissal of head coach
Marion Campbell Francis Marion Campbell (May 25, 1929 – July 13, 2016) was an American football defensive lineman and coach. He played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs from 1949 until 1951, where he was appropriately nicknamed " Swamp Fox" because of ...
. On February 9, 1977, he was named quarterback coach of the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...
, reuniting him with his former college coach, John McKay. He spent the next six seasons in that role until being fired amid reports of conflict with Buccaneers quarterback Doug Williams and McKay. After sitting out the
1983 NFL season The 1983 NFL season was the 64th regular season of the National Football League. The Colts played their final season in Baltimore before the team's relocation to Indianapolis the following season. The season ended with Super Bowl XVIII when ...
, Nelsen was hired by
Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at For ...
' head coach Monte Clark, a former Browns teammate, as their offensive coordinator on January 20, 1984. On April 11, 2019, Nelsen died in Orlando, Florida, at the age of 78.


References


External links


Bill Nelson Career statistics


{{DEFAULTSORT:Nelsen, Bill 1941 births 2019 deaths American football quarterbacks Atlanta Falcons coaches Cerritos Falcons football players Cleveland Browns players Detroit Lions coaches New England Patriots coaches Pittsburgh Steelers players Tampa Bay Buccaneers coaches USC Trojans football players Eastern Conference Pro Bowl players Players of American football from Los Angeles