Bill Nelsen
| No. 14, 16 | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Quarterback |
| Personal information | |
| Date of birth: | January 29, 1941 |
| Place of birth: | Los Angeles |
| Career information | |
| College: | Southern California |
| NFL Draft: | 1963 / Round: 10 |
| Career history | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
William Keith Nelsen (Born January 29, 1941) is a former football player who played collegiately for the University of Southern California and professionally with both the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns. He was known for his leadership ability and ability to play with pain, having endured a series of knee injuries during the course of his career. He later served as an assistant coach with four NFL teams.
After playing one season of junior college ball at Cerritos College in California, 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.
Nelsen was drafted in the 10th round of the 1963 NFL Draft 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, Nelsen suffered a knee injury that plagued him the remainder of that year and underwent surgery after the season.
The following season, Nelsen suffered a knee injury against the Detroit Lions in the season's second game. Originally scheduled to be out of the lineup for six weeks, Nelsen would 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.
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