Ken Nielsen

Ken Nielsen

Profile
Position	Wide receiver
Personal information
Born	(1942-05-10)May 10, 1942 Hanna, Alberta, Canada
Died	November 17, 2025(2025-11-17) (aged 83)
Listed height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Listed weight	180 lb (82 kg)
Career information
University	Alberta
Career history
1965	Hamilton Tiger-Cats
1965–1970	Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Awards and highlights
Most Outstanding Canadian (1968) Dr. Beattie Martin Trophy (1968) 2× CFL All-Star (1968, 1969) 3× CFL West All-Star (1967, 1968, 1969)

Ken Nielsen (May 10, 1942 – November 17, 2025) was a Canadian football wide receiver for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League (CFL) from 1965 to 1970. Nielsen won the CFL's Most Outstanding Canadian Award in 1968.

College football

Nielsen played Canadian university football at the University of Alberta.

Winnipeg

Though drafted by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Ken Nielsen was traded that same year to Winnipeg. Ken Nielsen became a standout wide receiver for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers from 1965 to 1970. In the 1965 Western conference playoffs, Nielsen caught a 109-yard touchdown pass from Ken Ploen which beat the Calgary Stampeders and helped send Winnipeg to the 53rd Grey Cup game. But the Blue Bombers lost that game to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, the so-called "Wind Bowl", when weather conditions were terrible for passing, punting, and place kicking.

During training camp in 1970, after only five seasons, Nielsen suffered a serious neck injury which cut short his career. He caught 280 passes for 4,340 yards.

After football

Nielsen worked as a dentist in Winnipeg and retired to Kamloops, BC. He had four children and thirteen grandchildren.

Nielsen died on November 17, 2025, at the age of 83.

External links

• Career bio