Hometown hero returns for honor at BYU

On Saturday, BYU will retire the No. 14 in honor of former quarterbacks Gifford Nielsen and Ty Detmer. Over the next two days, the Deseret Morning News looks at the careers of the two players.

PROVO — Stan Nielsen used to attend every BYU football practice, walking up and down the length of the field, watching Virgil Carter, Phil Odle, Gary Shiede and The Phantom, Eldon Fortie. He dreamed of the day his son would play for the Cougars.

Stan Nielsen has been gone for nearly two decades, but that father's dream continues to draw dividends. Saturday, BYU will officially retire the No. 14 jersey worn by his son, Gifford Nielsen. It will be the ultimate salute — a fitting tribute to one of the most famous athletes to ever come out of a Provo neighborhood.

Hometown star, the kid from Cherry Lane, makes good.

"It brought tears to my eyes when athletic director Tom Holmoe called me and told me they were going to retire my number," said Gifford Nielsen, speaking this week from the set of Channel 11 News in Houston, where he is one of the market's most respected sportscasters.

"When I got the call, I was sitting at my desk in the newsroom. I sat there, it was like the whole outside world just kind of went away. I sat back in my chair and thought, 'This is absolutely a humbling experience.'

"I thought about all my teammates, how we'd worked together. I thought about the program, about Doug Scovil and about LaVell Edwards and all he had accomplished. The magnitude didn't hit me until a few days. I had tears, thinking about my own mom and dad who are no longer with us. I thought of my wife and my kids and what an honor this is for all."

Since his days as a three-sport star at Provo High and a storied career across the street, Nielsen is likely the first BYU All-American quarterback to capture the imagination of the national media. His junior run in 1976 included 29 touchdown passes, 3,192 yards on 207 completions in 372 attempts. That set up a senior season that placed him as the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy after a sixth-place finish in the balloting.

In 1977, with a Heisman Trophy campaign mounting, the Cougars were ranked nationally and Nielsen was a hot commodity. Nationally syndicated radio host Paul Harvey had a "Gifford Nielsen Watch" every Monday, announcing how Nielsen had fared the previous Saturday.