Cleveland Browns top 10 quarterbacks in franchise history
By Randy Gurzi
Cleveland Browns top QB all-time No. 6: Bill Nelsen, 1968-1972
Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. BillNelsen. 53. QB. 1968-1972. 6. player
Before joining the Browns in 1968, Bill Nelsen was a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers — and while he didn’t have a lot of success with them, he endeared himself to fans due to his toughness and leadership. Nelsen dealt with injuries throughout his five seasons with Pittsburgh but kept on playing through the pain.
The team never found success though as they were 6-15-2 with him starting. Then in 1968, he was traded to Cleveland and that’s where his career took off.
In 1968, Nelsen started 11 games for the Browns and led them to nine wins. He followed that up with a 10-3-1 campaign in 1969. His worst season as a starter — in terms of wins and losses was 1970 when the franchise went 6-6.
Nelsen rebounded from that campaign by leading them to a 9-4 record the following year but struggled individually. He threw a career-worst 23 picks that season — plus another three in the playoffs — and would only start one more game for them in 1972 when he was replaced by Mike Phipps.
For his career, Nelsen threw for 9,725 yards with 71 touchdown passes and 71 picks. He did lead the Browns to a 34-16-1 record and was 2-3 in the postseason for them as well.