Billy Kilmer

No. 17

Position:

Quarterback

Personal information

Date of birth:

September 5, 1939

Place of birth:

Azusa, California

Height:

6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)

Weight:

204 lb (93 kg)

Career information

High school:

Citrus

College:

UCLA
Citrus Junior College

NFL draft:

1961 / Round: 1 / Pick: 11

AFL draft:

1961 / Round: 5 / Pick: 39
(by the San Diego Chargers)

Career history

Career highlights and awards

Pop Warner Trophy (1960)
Pro Bowl (1972)
2× All-Pro (1972, 1975)
70 Greatest Redskins
Washington Redskins Ring of Fame
Led NFL in passing TDs in 1972 with 19
Led NFL in passer rating in 1972 with 84.8

Career NFL statistics

Pass attempts:	2,984
Pass completions:	1,585
Percentage:	53.1
TD–INT:	152–146
Passing Yards:	20,495
QB Rating:	71.6
Player stats at NFL.com

Player stats at PFR

College Football Hall of Fame

William Orland Kilmer, Jr. (born September 5, 1939) was an American football quarterback in the National Football League for the San Francisco 49ers, New Orleans Saints, and Washington Redskins. He played college football at UCLA.

Early life

Born in Azusa, California, Kilmer played baseball, football, and basketball during his athletic career at Citrus Union High School in Azusa, 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.

College career

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 transferred to UCLA in 1958 and played three seasons, closing out with an outstanding senior 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. Kilmer was also awarded the 1960 W.J. Voit Memorial Trophy as the outstanding football player on the Pacific Coast.

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 played in the 1961 College All-Star Game, where he earned Most Valuable Player honors.

Professional career

San Francisco 49ers

Kilmer was the eleventh overall selection of the 1961 NFL draft, taken by the 49ers. He was also selected in the fifth round of the 1961 AFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers, but signed with San Francisco on December 30, 1960. During that rookie season, he saw action primarily at running back, rushing for 509 yards and ten 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 convertible and drove off the Bayshore Freeway into the San Francisco Bay.^[1] 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.

New Orleans Saints

On February 10, 1967, Kilmer was selected in the expansion draft 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, although he shared time with Edd Hargett during his final two 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 51-42 win over the St. Louis Cardinals.

Frustrated after four years of the Saints' futility and sensing New Orleans would draft Ole Miss star Archie Manning with the second overall pick of the 1971 NFL Draft, 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.

A short, but friendly dispute arose about who was the actual holder of Tom Dempsey's record-setting 63 yard field goal kick. For many years, it was widely believed that Saints quarterback (at the time) Billy Kilmer was the holder, but it was actually Saints' safety Joe Scarpati (#21), who was the holder of the (then) record-setting field goal. The dispute was finally put to rest, as still pictures and a few videos of that moment finally surfaced, showing that Scarpati (mentioned by name by veteran CBS announcer Lindsey Nelson, and verified by his jersey number #21) was indeed the holder of Dempsey's kick. A few weeks after the record-setting kick, Kilmer was traded to the Washington Redskins, where he achieved greater fame.

Washington Redskins

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 5-0 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, sporting buttons at games that read "I like Billy" or "I like Sonny." Kilmer did not throw the tight spiral that Jurgensen did, but his wobbly passes often got the job done.

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 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 one of the few remaining users of a single-bar face mask on the helmet, as multi-bar face masks became the norm in the NFL. Theismann also wore the single-bar throughout his career.

Kilmer finished his 16-year NFL career with 1,585 completions in 2,984 attempts 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 one touchdown, and punted the ball 16 times for 598 yards.

Problems with alcohol

It was during the 1970 season that rumors stirred that Kilmer missed curfew before a game against the Denver Broncos and that his Saints teammates had nicknamed him "Ole Whiskey."

Kilmer’s most memorable night on the town came early Monday morning December 6, 1971 after beating the Giants 23-7. He got arrested at the Toddle House, a coffee shop in Arlington. Apparently, Kilmer was attempting to pay a $4 tab with a $100 bill and an argument ensued involving the waitress.^[2] A policeman showed up, and Kilmer, who had been drinking anything but coffee earlier that evening, told the policeman, “If you think I’m wrong, put me in jail!” The policeman locked Kilmer up for the night, releasing him in time to lead the Redskins into the playoffs against San Francisco. Kilmer “won the hearts of fans when he told the waitress she could keep the $100 as a tip”.

This arrest gave 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.

On December 11, 1976, Kilmer was arrested for drunk driving less than 2 days before a game against the Dallas Cowboys.^[3]

Post-playing career

Following his retirement, Kilmer stayed on the fringes while working for a gambling service that made selections on NFL games, but has since stayed out of the spotlight. Kilmer served as coach of the Shreveport Steamers of the American Football Association (a summer professional league) in 1979 and commissioner of the same league in 1981, but left as a result of numerous problems under his tenure as well as a lack of payment. He occasionally makes appearances in Mobile, Alabama in support of the GMAC Bowl.

Billy Kilmer was inducted into the American Football Association's Semi Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987

References

↑ Murray, Jim (December 20, 1971). "Bill Kilmer woke up just in time". Lakeland Ledger (Florida). (Los Angeles Times). p. 1B.
↑ "Kilmer arrested as drunk". Milwaukee Sentinel. Associated Press. December 7, 1971. p. 2, part 2.
↑ Shapiro, Leonard (December 12, 1976). "Kilmer Charged as Drunk Driver". Washington Post. p. 1.

External links

Billy Kilmer at the College Football Hall of Fame

Career statistics and player information from NFL.com • Pro-Football-Reference • Databasefootball.com
Bill Kilmer football cards

UCLA Bruins starting quarterbacks

Birlenbach
Russom
Solomon
Bergdahl
Hunt
Frankovich
Murphy
Harris
Mathews
Waterfield
Case
Reiges
Nagel
Hershmon
Debay
Knox
Ballard
Bradley
Shinnick
Gertsman
Kilmer
Zeno
Beban
Dow
Bolden
Dummit
Flores
Harmon
Sciarra
Dankworth
Bashore
Quarles
Ramsey
Schroeder
Neuheisel
Bono
Norrie
Stevens
Aikman
Johnson
Maddox
Cook
Walker
Barnes
Fien
McNown
Bennett
Paus
McCann
McEwan
D. Olson
Moore
B. Olson
Cowan
Bethel-Thompson
Rasshan
Craft
Prince
Brehaut
Hundley
Rosen

Pop Warner Trophy winners

1950 Pomeroy
1952 Sears
1953 B. Garrett
1954 Shaw
1955 Davenport
1956 Arnett
1957 Francis
1958 Kapp
1959 Burford
1960 Kilmer
1962 Baker
1963 Burke
1964 Morton
1965 M. Garrett
1966 Pifer
1967 Beban
1968 Simpson
1969 Parish
1970 Plunkett
1971 Siemon
1972 Rae
1973 Swann
1974 Davis
1975 Muncie
1976 Bell
1977 Benjamin
1978 Robinson
1979 White
1980 Margerum
1981 Allen
1982 Elway
1983 Rivera
1984 Del Rio
1985 Mayes
1986 Wyman
1988 Peete
1989 Ryan
1990 Lewis
1991 Vardell
1992 Milburn
1993 Morton
1994 Stenstrom
1995 Johnson
1996 Plummer
1997 Hicks
1998 McNown
1999 O'Neal
2000 Tuiasosopo
2002 Palmer
2003 Ball
2004 Arrington

1961 NFL draft first-round selections

Tommy Mason Norm Snead Joe Rutgens Marlin McKeever Mike Ditka Jimmy Johnson Tom Matte Ken Rice Bernie Casey Bobby Crespino Billy Kilmer Herb Adderley Bob Lilly Art Baker

San Francisco 49ers first-round draft picks

Nomellini Tittle McElhenny Babcock Stolhandske Faloney Moegle Morrall Brodie Pace Krueger Baker James Stickles Johnson Casey Kilmer Alworth Alexander Parks Willard Donnelly Hindman Spurrier Banaszek Blue Kwalick G. Washington Hardman Taylor Anderson Beasley Holmes Jackson Sandifer Webb MacAfee Bunz Cooper Stuckey Lott Shell Rice Barton Flagler DeLong D. Carter T. Washington Hall Stubblefield Kelly Young Floyd Stokes Druckenmiller McQuarters McGrew Peterson Plummer A. Carter Rumph Harris Woods Alex Smith V. Davis Lawson Willis Staley Balmer Crabtree A. Davis Iupati Aldon Smith Jenkins Reid Ward Armstead

AFC East BUF MIA NE NYJ North BAL CIN CLE PIT South HOU IND JAX TEN West DEN KC OAK SD NFC East DAL NYG PHI WAS North CHI DET GB MIN South ATL CAR NO TB West ARI LA SF SEA

New Orleans Saints starting quarterbacks

Gary Cuozzo (1967)
Billy Kilmer (1967–1970)
Karl Sweetan (1968)
Ronnie Lee South (1968)
Edd Hargett (1970–1971)
Archie Manning (1971–1975, 1977–1981)
Bobby Scott (1973–1974, 1976–1977, 1981)
Larry Cipa (1974–1975)
Bobby Douglass (1976–1977)
Dave Wilson (1981, 1983–1986)
Ken Stabler (1982–1983)
Guido Merkens (1982)
Richard Todd (1984)
Bobby Hebert (1985–1989, 1991–1992)
John Fourcade (1987, 1989–1990)
Steve Walsh (1990–1991, 1993)
Wade Wilson (1993)
Mike Buck (1993)
Jim Everett (1994–1996)
Doug Nussmeier (1996–1997)
Heath Shuler (1997)
Billy Joe Hobert (1997–1999)
Danny Wuerffel (1997–1998)
Kerry Collins (1998)
Billy Joe Tolliver (1998–1999)
Jake Delhomme (1999)
Jeff Blake (2000)
Aaron Brooks (2000–2005)
Todd Bouman (2005)
Drew Brees (2006–present)
Mark Brunell (2009)
Luke McCown (2015)

Boston Braves / Boston Redskins / Washington Redskins starting quarterbacks

Hank Hughes (1932)
Jim Musick (1933)
Steve Hokuf (1934)
Pug Rentner (1934–1935)
Bill Shepherd (1935)
Eddie Britt (1936)
Ed Smith (1936)
Sammy Baugh (1937–1952)
Bill Hartman (1938)
Frank Filchock (1938–1939, 1941, 1944)
Jim German (1939)
Roy Zimmerman (1942)
George Cafego (1943)
Jim Youel (1946–1947)
Jack Jacobs (1946)
Tommy Mont (1948)
Harry Gilmer (1949–1951)
Eddie LeBaron (1952–1953, 1955–1959)
Jack Scarbath (1953–1954)
Al Dorow (1954–1956)
Ralph Guglielmi (1955, 1958–1960)
Eagle Day (1960)
Norm Snead (1961–1963)
Sonny Jurgensen (1964–1974)
Dick Shiner (1965)
Jim Ninowski (1968)
Billy Kilmer (1971–1978)
Randy Johnson (1975)
Joe Theismann (1976–1985)
Mike Kruczek (1980)
Jay Schroeder (1985–1987)
Ed Rubbert (1987)
Doug Williams (1987–1989)
Mark Rypien (1988–1993)
Stan Humphries (1990)
Jeff Rutledge (1990)
Rich Gannon (1993)
Cary Conklin (1993)
Heath Shuler (1994–1995)
John Friesz (1994)
Gus Frerotte (1994–1998)
Jeff Hostetler (1997)
Trent Green (1998)
Brad Johnson (1999–2000)
Jeff George (2000–2001)
Tony Banks (2001)
Shane Matthews (2002)
Patrick Ramsey (2002–2005)
Danny Wuerffel (2002)
Tim Hasselbeck (2003)
Mark Brunell (2004–2006)
Jason Campbell (2006–2009)
Todd Collins (2007)
Donovan McNabb (2010)
Rex Grossman (2010–2011)
John Beck (2011)
Robert Griffin III (2012–2014)
Kirk Cousins (2012–present)
Colt McCoy (2014)

70 Greatest Redskins

21 Terry Allen RB 1995–98
41 Mike Bass CB 1969–75
20 Cliff Battles B 1932–37
33 Sammy Baugh QB 1937–52
31 Don Bosseler B 1957–64
53 Jeff Bostic C 1980–93
4 Mike Bragg P 1968–79
80 Gene Brito DE 1951–53, 1955–58
43 Larry Brown RB 1969–76
77 Bill Brundige DE 1970–77
65 Dave Butz DT 1975–88
21 Earnest Byner RB 1989–93
84 Gary Clark WR 1985–92
51 Monte Coleman LB 1979–94
53 Al DeMao C 1945–53
36 Chuck Drazenovich LB 1950–59
35 Bill Dudley RB 1950–51, 1953
17 Turk Edwards T 1932–40
44 Andy Farkas FB 1938–44
37 Pat Fischer CB 1968–77
28 Darrell Green CB 1983–2002
68 Russ Grimm G 1981–91
55 Chris Hanburger LB 1965–78
57 Ken Harvey LB 1994–98
56 Len Hauss C 1964–77
27 Ken Houston S 1973–80
70 Sam Huff LB 1964–67, 1969
66 Joe Jacoby T/G 1981–93
47 Dick James RB 1955–63
9 Sonny Jurgensen QB 1964–74
22 Charlie Justice RB 1950, 1952–54
17 Billy Kilmer QB 1971–78
26 Paul Krause DB 1964–67
79 Jim Lachey T 1988–95
14 Eddie LeBaron QB 1952–53, 1955–59
72 Dexter Manley DE 1981–89
71 Charles Mann DE 1983–93
58 Wilber Marshall LB 1988–92
73 Mark May T 1981–89
79 Ron McDole DE 1971–78
63 Raleigh McKenzie G 1985–94
53 Harold McLinton LB 1969–78
40 Wayne Millner E 1936–41, 1945
49 Bobby Mitchell FL 1962–68
30 Brian Mitchell RB 1990–99
81 Art Monk WR 1980–93
3 Mark Moseley K 1974–86
29 Mark Murphy S 1977–84
21 Mike Nelms KR 1980–84
52 Neal Olkewicz LB 1979–89
23 Brig Owens LB 1966–77
65 Vince Promuto G 1960–70
44 John Riggins RB 1976–79, 1981–85
11 Mark Rypien QB 1987–93
83 Ricky Sanders WR 1986–93
76 Ed Simmons T 1987–93
87 Jerry Smith TE 1965–77
60 Dick Stanfel G 1956–58
74 George Starke T 1973–84
72 Diron Talbert DT 1971–80
84 Hugh (Bones) Taylor E 1947–54
42 Charley Taylor WR 1964–77
7 Joe Theismann QB 1974–85
67 Rusty Tillman LB 1970–77
85 Don Warren TE 1979–92
25 Joe Washington RB 1981–84
17 Doug Williams QB 1986–89

Coaches

George Allen Head Coach 1971–77
Ray Flaherty Head Coach 1936–42
Joe Gibbs Head Coach 1981–92

Washington Redskins Ring of Fame

George Allen Head Coach 1971–77
Cliff Battles RB 1932–37
Sammy Baugh QB 1937–52
Gene Brito DE, 1951–53, 1955–58
Larry Brown RB 1969–76
Dave Butz DT 1975–88
Gary Clark WR 1985–92
Jack Kent Cooke Owner 1961–97
Bill Dudley RB, 1950–51, 1953
Wayne Curry Prince George's County Executive 1994–2002
Pat Fischer CB 1968–77
Joe Gibbs Head Coach, 1981–92, 2004–07
Darrell Green CB 1983–2002
Russ Grimm G 1981–91
Chris Hanburger LB 1965–78
Ken Harvey LB 1994–98
Len Hauss C 1964–77
Phil Hochberg PA Announcer 1963–2000
Ken Houston S 1973–80
Sam Huff LB, 1964–67, 1969
Joe Jacoby T/G 1981–93
Dick James RB 1956–63
Sonny Jurgensen QB 1964–74
Charlie Justice RB, 1950, 1952–54
Billy Kilmer QB 1971–78
Eddie LeBaron QB, 1952–53, 1955–59
Vince Lombardi Head Coach 1969
Dexter Manley DE 1981–89
Charles Mann DE 1983–93
George Preston Marshall Team Founder & Owner 1932–69
Wayne Millner End, 1936–41, 1945
Bobby Mitchell Flanker 1962–68
Brian Mitchell RB/KR 1990–99
Art Monk WR 1980–93
Mark Moseley PK 1974–86
Brig Owens DB 1966–77
Richie Petitbon S 1971-72, defensive coordinator 1981-92
Vince Promuto G 1960–70
John Riggins RB, 1976–79, 1981–85
Jerry Smith TE 1965–77
Charley Taylor WR 1964–77
Sean Taylor S 2004–07
Joe Theismann QB 1974–85
Lamar "Bubba" Tyer Head Athletic Trainer, 1971–2002, 2004–08
Doug Williams QB 1986–89

New Orleans Saints 1967 inaugural season roster

0 Obert Logan
10 Charlie Durkee
12 Tom McNeill
15 Gary Cuozzo
16 Bo Burris
17 Billy Kilmer
19 Gary Wood
20 George Youngblood
21 John Douglas
22 Charlie Brown
23 Dave Whitsell
24 Elijah Nevett
25 Jerry Simmons
26 Jimmy Heidel
27 Walter Roberts
29 Ray Ogden
30 Leslie Kelley
31 Jim Taylor
32 Tom Barrington
33 Randy Schultz
35 Ted Davis
36 Don McCall
37 Steve Stonebreaker
38 Phil Vandersea
39 Ernie Wheelwright
42 John Gilliam
44 George Rose
45 Jimmy Jordan
46 Danny Abramowicz
47 Bruce Cortez
50 Jake Kupp
53 Dave Simmons
54 Joe Wendryhoski
55 Jackie Burkett
58 Eli Strand
59 Fred Whittingham
60 Brian Schweda
61 Del Williams
63 Roy Schmidt
66 Bill Cody
67 George Hravey
71 Dick J. Anderson
71 Dave McCormick
72 Earl Leggett
73 Bill Sandeman
73 Jerry Sturm
74 Mike Tilleman
76 Dave Rowe
77 Ray Rissmiller
78 Jerry Jones
79 Lou Cordileone
80 Jim Garcia
81 Doug Atkins
83 Vern Burke
84 Jimmy Hester
85 Ray Poage
86 Tom Hall
88 Ben Hart
89 Kent Kramer
Head Coach: Tom Fears
Assistant Coaches: George Dickson
Jack Faulkner
Ed Khayat
Lamar McHan
Bob Shaw
Walt Yowarsky

NFL season passing touchdown leaders

1932: Herber
1933: Newman
1934: Herber
1935: Danowski
1936: Herber
1937: Masterson
1938: Monnett
1939: Filchock
1940: Baugh
1941: Isbell
1942: Isbell
1943: Luckman
1944: Filchock
1945: Luckman & Waterfield
1946: Luckman & Waterfield
1947: Baugh
1948: Thompson
1949: Lujack
1950: Ratterman
1951: Layne
1952: Finks & Graham
1953: Thomason
1954: Burk
1955: Tittle & Rote
1956: Rote
1957: Unitas
1958: Unitas
1959: Unitas
1960: Unitas
1961: Jurgensen
1962: Tittle
1963: Tittle
1964: Ryan
1965: Brodie
1966: Ryan
1967: Jurgensen
1968: Morrall
1969: Gabriel
1970: Brodie
1971: Hadl
1972: Kilmer & Namath
1973: Gabriel & Staubach
1974: Stabler
1975: Tarkenton & Ferguson
1976: Stabler
1977: Griese
1978: Bradshaw
1979: Grogan & Sipe
1980: Bartkowski
1981: Fouts
1982: Fouts, Bradshaw, Montana
1983: Dickey
1984: Marino
1985: Marino
1986: Marino
1987: Montana
1988: Everett
1989: Everett
1990: Moon
1991: Kelly
1992: Young
1993: Young
1994: Young
1995: Favre
1996: Favre
1997: Favre
1998: Young
1999: Warner
2000: Manning & Culpepper
2001: Warner
2002: Brady
2003: Favre
2004: Manning
2005: Palmer
2006: Manning
2007: Brady
2008: Brees & Rivers
2009: Brees
2010: Brady
2011: Brees
2012: Brees
2013: Manning
2014: Luck
2015: Brady

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