What does it take to make a legend? There isn’t one particular formula to follow. The popular cliché legends aren’t born, they are made implies that to be a legend is the end result of a series of events. It appears that one such series started during the 2011 Brigham Young Cougars football season.
The BYU football team trailed Utah State 24-13 in the third quarter. The Cougar offense was lifeless. In came backup quarterback Riley Nelson. Nelson had transferred to BYU from Utah State before the 2009 season. He brought immediate energy to the team. By the end of the game, BYU was celebrating Nelson’s heroics. He had brought the Cougars back to win 27-24, and he did it with an improbable 96-yard touchdown drive that started with 2:36 to play. The winning play was a Nelson pass that was tipped away from the intended receiver, but miraculously landed in the arms of another Cougar in the end zone with 11 seconds to play.
Nelson gained instant notoriety. However, it is uncertain whether it was for leading a second half comeback that moved his team above the 0.500 mark, or his hair.
Video cameras caught Nelson on the field after the game without his helmet on. These scenes revealed that Nelson had a full head of flowing hair, to say the least. Within hours, an “Ode to Riley Nelson’s Hair” video was up on YouTube. Combine this YouTube video with the @Rileysabs Twitter account, which pre-dated the Utah State comeback, and the quarterback was becoming more than just the starter a Quarterback U. He had become an internet sensation.
As the starting quarterback, Nelson led BYU to three straight wins. In each successive game, the offense scored more points than it had in a single game all season. In game four against TCU, Nelson’s internet fame grew again when he high fived one of the game officials after scoring a two-point conversion.
The TCU game, however, was a loss. Couple that with Nelson leaving the next game midway through the first quarter with an injury, and it appeared Nelson was just a fly by night sensation.
That injury turned out to enhance the Riley Nelson legacy in Cougar lore. The diagnosis was cracked ribs and a partially collapsed lung. He was expected to miss the rest of the regular season. Just a few days later, Nelson was back at practice. Two weeks later, as BYU prepared for the regular season finale, Nelson was cleared to travel to Hawaii and play in the game. His recovery was called “miraculous.”
That same week leading up to Nelson’s return, two tales about Nelson become public. First, Nelson gave his account of the injury. He didn’t immediately come out after the injury occurred. He thought he could keep playing, but soon found out he was wrong.
Maybe Nelson couldn’t breathe, but he could still throw a touchdown.
Second, the Voice of Cougar Football Greg Wrubell joined David Locke on a podcast for 1320 KFAN radio in Salt Lake City. At the 29:45 mark of the podcast, Wrubell recounted an event during fall football camp in 2011. This was when Nelson was "destined" to never play a meaningful down at quarterback again. The team had a special teams draft. The coaches and captains of all four special team units could pick any player on the team, starter or backup, to be on their special teams unit. Kyle Van Noy was the first player chosen. Riley Nelson was the next. When Nelson’s name was read, he received a “standing ovation.” Wrubell summed it up by saying, “That’s who he is to his team.”
With the hype building, Nelson started the Hawaii game 5-5 passing for 53 yards. All questions about how fully he had recovered were gone. Nelson went on to have a career day. He set career highs for completions, attempts, touchdown passes (tied), and passing yards. In fact, Nelson’s 363 passing yards were the most by a BYU quarterback in over two years. It was good enough to earn Nelson his fourth Independent Offensive Player of the Week honors this season.
With a year of eligibility left to play, it is far too soon to hold a coronation ceremony and declare Nelson a legend, but he is well on his way.
Nelson’s hair and abs are idolized by fans. He changes doom and gloom to sunshine and daisies. With his life in peril, he still throws touchdowns. He has captivated his teammates. He recovers from injury miraculously. Yes, these are the things that legends are made of, and these are the things that made up Riley Nelson in 2011.
The Editor appreciates all feedback. He can be reached via email at bluecougarfootball@gmail.com
The BYU football team trailed Utah State 24-13 in the third quarter. The Cougar offense was lifeless. In came backup quarterback Riley Nelson. Nelson had transferred to BYU from Utah State before the 2009 season. He brought immediate energy to the team. By the end of the game, BYU was celebrating Nelson’s heroics. He had brought the Cougars back to win 27-24, and he did it with an improbable 96-yard touchdown drive that started with 2:36 to play. The winning play was a Nelson pass that was tipped away from the intended receiver, but miraculously landed in the arms of another Cougar in the end zone with 11 seconds to play.
Nelson gained instant notoriety. However, it is uncertain whether it was for leading a second half comeback that moved his team above the 0.500 mark, or his hair.
Video cameras caught Nelson on the field after the game without his helmet on. These scenes revealed that Nelson had a full head of flowing hair, to say the least. Within hours, an “Ode to Riley Nelson’s Hair” video was up on YouTube. Combine this YouTube video with the @Rileysabs Twitter account, which pre-dated the Utah State comeback, and the quarterback was becoming more than just the starter a Quarterback U. He had become an internet sensation.
As the starting quarterback, Nelson led BYU to three straight wins. In each successive game, the offense scored more points than it had in a single game all season. In game four against TCU, Nelson’s internet fame grew again when he high fived one of the game officials after scoring a two-point conversion.
The TCU game, however, was a loss. Couple that with Nelson leaving the next game midway through the first quarter with an injury, and it appeared Nelson was just a fly by night sensation.
That injury turned out to enhance the Riley Nelson legacy in Cougar lore. The diagnosis was cracked ribs and a partially collapsed lung. He was expected to miss the rest of the regular season. Just a few days later, Nelson was back at practice. Two weeks later, as BYU prepared for the regular season finale, Nelson was cleared to travel to Hawaii and play in the game. His recovery was called “miraculous.”
That same week leading up to Nelson’s return, two tales about Nelson become public. First, Nelson gave his account of the injury. He didn’t immediately come out after the injury occurred. He thought he could keep playing, but soon found out he was wrong.
"My breathing became so short. And the pain in my chest was a pain I had never experienced before. So I was more focused on that than the throw," Nelson remembered. "That post (pattern) actually wasn't in the read. But I was in so much pain, and at that point was getting a little light-headed to where I said to myself, 'If I get one-on-one (coverage), I'm going to throw it up, then maybe have to call a timeout.'
"But luckily Cody [Hoffman] came down with it [in the end zone]. I walked off the field. I didn't celebrate with anybody. Normally, I like celebrating with everybody, but I couldn't stand up straight. I couldn't breathe. I was focused on breathing and making it so they didn't have to come get me off the field. The breathing became a problem. I came to the sideline. It was a pain I had never experienced before. I called over the trainers and they knew it was something more than cracked ribs or cartilage tears in my sternum."
Maybe Nelson couldn’t breathe, but he could still throw a touchdown.
Second, the Voice of Cougar Football Greg Wrubell joined David Locke on a podcast for 1320 KFAN radio in Salt Lake City. At the 29:45 mark of the podcast, Wrubell recounted an event during fall football camp in 2011. This was when Nelson was "destined" to never play a meaningful down at quarterback again. The team had a special teams draft. The coaches and captains of all four special team units could pick any player on the team, starter or backup, to be on their special teams unit. Kyle Van Noy was the first player chosen. Riley Nelson was the next. When Nelson’s name was read, he received a “standing ovation.” Wrubell summed it up by saying, “That’s who he is to his team.”
With the hype building, Nelson started the Hawaii game 5-5 passing for 53 yards. All questions about how fully he had recovered were gone. Nelson went on to have a career day. He set career highs for completions, attempts, touchdown passes (tied), and passing yards. In fact, Nelson’s 363 passing yards were the most by a BYU quarterback in over two years. It was good enough to earn Nelson his fourth Independent Offensive Player of the Week honors this season.
With a year of eligibility left to play, it is far too soon to hold a coronation ceremony and declare Nelson a legend, but he is well on his way.
Nelson’s hair and abs are idolized by fans. He changes doom and gloom to sunshine and daisies. With his life in peril, he still throws touchdowns. He has captivated his teammates. He recovers from injury miraculously. Yes, these are the things that legends are made of, and these are the things that made up Riley Nelson in 2011.
The Editor appreciates all feedback. He can be reached via email at bluecougarfootball@gmail.com
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