Bill Nelsen 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 . College career . 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 . Professional career . 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 ( football ) , 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 to the Browns . After serving as Frank Ryan ' s backup for three games that year , Nelsen was elevated to the starting role , and quickly made his mark with a shocking 30 - 20 upset of the previously unbeaten Baltimore Colts 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 . One week after throwing for five touchdowns in a 42 - 10 victory over the previously unbeaten Dallas Cowboys on November 2 , Nelsen spent a miserable afternoon against the Minnesota Vikings 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 that would trouble him for the rest of the season . In game two of the 1970 NFL season , Nelsen took yet another hit to his knees in a September 27 game against the San Francisco 49ers . The injury forced him out of the game and kept him on the sidelines the following week as well . After a midseason 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 midseason 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 once 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 in the opening game . Weeks after the conclusion of the season , Nelsen underwent his fifth knee operation and announced his retirement . Coaching career . On February 14 , 1973 , he was hired as an assistant coach for the New England Patriots , 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 . On February 9 , 1977 , he was named quarterback coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers , 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 , Nelsen was hired by Detroit Lions ' head coach Monte Clark , a former Browns teammate , as their offensive coordinator on January 20 , 1984 . Nelsen has since retired from coaching .