Photo: O-Pee-Chee Player Card
Former standout CFL receiver Ken Nielsen has passed away at the age of 83.
The native of Hanna, Alta. was initially drafted by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats but played six seasons with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers from 1965 to 1970, recording 280 receptions for 4,340 yards and 31 touchdowns.
The six-foot-one, 180-pound target was a three-time All-West Division selection, two-time All-CFL selection, and was named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Canadian in 1968. He retired prematurely due to a neck injury and to focus on his post-football career as a dentist.
“Condolences to the family and friends of Ken Nielsen, the former Winnipeg Blue Bombers receiver and member of the club’s Hall of Fame who passed away in Kamloops, B.C. last week,” wrote the team’s in-house reporter Ed Tait. “He was a two-time CFL all-star and the league’s top Canadian in 1978.”
Nielsen was inducted into the Winnipeg Football Club Hall of Fame in 1987.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers finished fourth in the West Division standings in 2025 with a 10-8 record, qualifying for the playoffs as the crossover team before losing the East Semi-Final to the Montreal Alouettes. Zach Collaros threw for 3,048 yards, 17 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions over 13 regular-season games, going 6-7 as a starter.
The Blue Bombers ranked fifth in net offence, third in net defence, and eighth with a turnover differential of minus-eleven. The club’s leading rusher was Brady Oliveira with 1,163 yards, leading receiver was Nic Demski with 1,001 yards, and leading tackler was Tony Jones with 104 tackles. Winnipeg ranked first in attendance with average crowds of 32,343, which was a 3.7 percent increase from the previous year.