Billy Kilmer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Billy Kilmer (born September 5, 1939 in Topeka, Kansas) was an American football player who played collegiately for the UCLA Bruins and professionally for 16 seasons with three teams: the San Francisco 49ers, the New Orleans Saints and the Washington Redskins.
A native of Azusa, California, William Orland Kilmer played baseball, football and basketball during his athletic career at Citrus High School in California, scoring more than 1,500 points in the latter sport while earning All-American honors. His baseball exploits saw him win All-Conference accolades, while the poor fortunes of his football squad saw him relegated to Third Team All-Conference recognition.
Kilmer then competed in football for one year at Citrus Junior College where he scored six touchdowns and threw for 15 more, with a broken foot limiting his playing time for the Citrus basketball team. He then went on to play three seasons at UCLA, closing out his career with an outstanding season in 1960 that helped him finish fifth in voting for the Heisman Trophy. During that stellar campaign, he threw for over 1,000 yards, ran for over 800, scored eight touchdowns and served as the team's punter.
After the conclusion of a UCLA career that saw him finish among the top five in school history for passing and rushing yards, as well as total offense, Kilmer was drafted by both the 49ers and the San Diego Chargers of the American Football League, but signed with San Francisco on December 30, 1960.
In the 1961 College All-Star Game, Kilmer earned Most Valuable Player honors, then reported to the 49ers camp that was using the shotgun offense. During that rookie season, he saw action primarily at running back, rushing for 509 yards and 10 touchdowns, with his top performance coming against the expansion Minnesota Vikings on October 15 when he rushed for four touchdowns.
The following year, Kilmer's season came to an early end following a December 5 auto accident in which he fell asleep in his 1957 Chevrolet and drove off the Bayshore Freeway into the San Francisco Bay. Suffering a fractured leg, Kilmer's injury was bad enough to also force him to sit out the entire 1963 NFL season. He was able to return the following year, but his production was limited. After he saw no action in 1965 and was involved in a training camp contract dispute the next season, he was placed in the 1967 NFL expansion draft.
On February 10, 1967, Kilmer was drafted by the New Orleans Saints and despite originally being thought of as the team's third-best signal caller, became the team's starting quarterback for much of the next four seasons. His most prolific performance during his four-year stint with the team came on November 2, 1969, when he threw for 345 yards and six touchdowns in a wild 51-42 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.
Frustrated after four years of the Saints' futility, Kilmer asked to be traded and was granted his wish on January 23, 1971, when he was traded to the Washington Redskins for linebacker Tom Roussel and two draft selections. As the first trade during the George Allen era in Washington, Kilmer was destined for a reserve role behind future Hall of Famer Sonny Jurgensen.
That status changed on September 4 when Jurgensen suffered a severe shoulder injury against the Miami Dolphins. Kilmer then led the resurgent Redskins to a 6-0 start, but a midseason slump cost them the opportunity to win the National Football Conference Eastern Division. Kilmer briefly lost his starting job as a result of the slide, but regained it after Jurgensen again injured his shoulder. Fans in Washington tended to be loyal to one quarterback or the other, often sporting buttons at games that read "I like Billy" or "I like Sonny." Kilmer did not throw the type of beautiful spirals Jurgensen regularly produced, but his wobbly passes somehow seemed to produce more victories.
Hours after the team's victory over the New York Giants on December 5, Kilmer was arrested for public intoxication, giving rise to the quarterback's image as a hell-raiser. That reputation had been noted by Saints owner John Mecom, Jr., who mentioned Kilmer's many late-hour visits to New Orleans bars while playing for the team. It was also noted that Kilmer had been fined during the 1971 preseason after missing curfew the night before a game against the Denver Broncos. Kilmer's Redskin teammates called him "Ol' Whiskey".
Bouncing back from the embarrassing headlines, Kilmer helped the team clinch a playoff berth the following Monday night with a 38-24 victory over the Los Angeles Rams. On December 26, the Redskins competed in their their first playoff game in more than a quarter century, dropping a 24-20 decision to Kilmer's old team, the San Francisco 49ers.
One year later, Kilmer led the Redskins to an NFC-best 11-3 record, while also leading the NFL in touchdown passes (19) and passer rating (84.8). After the season, Washington advanced to their first Super Bowl, which they lost, 14-7, to the unbeaten Miami Dolphins (16-0). The loss didn't dampen Kilmer's individual recognition as he was named to the Pro Bowl and the All-NFC Team.
That success would endear Kilmer to Allen, who remained loyal to the signal caller, despite determined challenges from Jurgensen and former University of Notre Dame quarterback Joe Theismann. Kilmer remained with the Redskins until 1978, serving as a backup to Joe Theismann during that final year. Kilmer's demotion could undoubtedly be due to the dismissal of Allen at the conclusion of the previous season.
During his time with the Redskins, Kilmer became known for the use of a single-bar face mask on the helmet, a fashion that had long since been out of style.
Kilmer finished his 16-year NFL career with 1,585 of 2,984 completions for 20,495 yards and 154 touchdowns, with 146 interceptions. He also rushed for 1,509 yards and 21 touchdowns, caught 27 passes for 288 yards and 1 touchdown, and punted the ball 16 times for 598 yards.
Following his retirement, Kilmer returned to the sport in 1981 as commissioner of the American Football Association, an ill-fated attempt at challenging the National Football League. He then stayed on the fringes while working for a gambling service that made selections on NFL games, but has since stayed out of the spotlight.
