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 Kilmer at UCLA, 1959 | |||||||||||||||
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| Born | (1939-09-05)September 5, 1939 (age 86) Topeka, Kansas, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight | 204 lb (93 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | Citrus Union(Azusa, California) | ||||||||||||||
| College | UCLA | ||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1961: 1st round, 11th overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| AFL draft | 1961: 5th round, 39th overall pick | ||||||||||||||
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William Orland Kilmer Jr. (born September 5, 1939) is an American former professionalfootball player who was aquarterback in theNational Football League (NFL) for theSan Francisco 49ers,New Orleans Saints, andWashington Redskins. He was also used as arunning back,wide receiver, andpunter. He playedcollege football for theUCLA Bruins, then 18 seasons as a professional. In 1964, while playing running back for the 49ers, Kilmer played a supporting role in one of the most infamous incidents in gridiron history when Vikings defensive linemanJim Marshall ran Kilmer's fumble back 66 yards into thewrong end zone. In January 1973, at the end of the1972 NFL season, Kilmer was the losing quarterback inSuper Bowl VII, when theMiami Dolphins completed the first and onlyperfect NFL season by defeating Kilmer'sWashington Redskins 14-7.
Born inTopeka, Kansas, Kilmer was raised insouthern California and played baseball, football, and basketball atCitrus Union High School inAzusa, scoring more than 1,900 points in the latter sport while earningAll-American honors. His 1,901 points set aCIF Southern Section record for points scored, later broken by futureMajor League Baseball pitcherBart Johnson.[1][2][3][4] 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.
After graduation from high school in 1957, Kilmer competed in football for one year atCitrus Junior College, scoring six touchdowns and throwing for 15 more. A broken foot limited his playing time for the Citrus basketball team.[5] He transferred toUCLA in1958 and played three seasons. Kilmer also played on theBruins basketball team in1959–60 under head coachJohn Wooden.[6] He capped off his college career with an outstanding senior season in1960: 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 1960W.J. Voit Memorial Trophy as the outstanding football player on the Pacific Coast and finished fifth in voting for theHeisman Trophy.
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 1961College All-Star Game, where he earned Most Valuable Player honors. He was inducted into theCollege Football Hall of Fame in 1999. There is some lingering controversy over exactly which position he played. His Hall of Fame plaque lists him as a halfback and says he "playedtailback in UCLA'ssingle-wing formation." Other sources list him as a quarterback.[7]
Kilmer was the 11th overall selection of the1961 NFL draft, taken by the49ers. He was also selected in the fifth round of the1961 AFL draft by theSan Diego Chargers, but signed with San Francisco on December 30, 1960. During that rookie season in1961, he saw action as a primarily running quarterback in Red Hickey's shotgun formation, rushing for 509 yards and ten touchdowns, with his top performance coming against the expansionMinnesota Vikings on October 15 when he rushed for four touchdowns.
The following year Kilmer was primarily used as a running back but his 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 theBayshore Freeway into theSan Francisco Bay.[8] Suffering a fractured leg, Kilmer's injury was bad enough to also force him to sit out the entire1963 NFL season. He was able to return the following year, but his production was limited.
His most memorable play as a 49er came in1964 during a game against theVikings atKezar Stadium. Kilmer was playing wide receiver rather than quarterback. On October 25, 1964, Kilmer fumbled after catching a pass fromGeorge Mira. The fumble was recovered by Vikings defensive endJim Marshall, who infamouslyran 66 yards in the wrong direction.[9] In spite of Marshall's gaffe, the Vikings still beat the 49ers, 27–22.
After he saw no action in 1965 and was involved in a training camp contract dispute the next season, Kilmer was placed in the1967 NFL expansion draft.
On February 10, 1967, Kilmer was one of two quarterbacks selected in the expansion draft by theNew Orleans Saints. The Saints also acquiredGary Cuozzo in a trade with theBaltimore Colts.[10] Cuozzo started 10 of the new team's 14 games, with Kilmer starting the other four. Kilmer was the starter for the team's first game, a 27–13 loss at home to theLos Angeles Rams. He was benched in favor of Cuozzo after the Saints lost their first three games.
Cuozzo was traded to theMinnesota Vikings during the off-season. Kilmer regained his starting quarterback job in1968, and kept it until1970.
His most prolific performance during his four-year stint with the Saints came in1969, when he threw for 345 yards and six touchdowns in a 51–42 win over theSt. Louis Cardinals on November 2.
Kilmer's last win as the Saints' starting quarterback came on week 8 of the1970 season. CoachTom Fears had benched Kilmer after three season-opening losses in favor of backupEdd Hargett. However, Fears was fired after week 7 and replaced byJ. D. Roberts. The new coach brought Kilmer back as the starting quarterback. On November 8, 1970, in a home game versus theDetroit Lions, Kilmer led what proved to be a game-winning drive, although he could only bring the Saints as far as their own 44 yard line. With just one play left in the game, and his team down by a 17–16 margin, coach Roberts opted against asking Kilmer to go for a "Hail Mary" pass. Instead, kickerTom Dempsey, who had earlier in the second half kicked an 8-yard field goal, was asked to attempt a 63-yard field goal. (The goal posts were still placed on the goal line in 1970, and not on the end line as they are today.) Dempsey made the kick, which broke the existing record by 7 yards. Only five longer field goals have been kicked since.
In a 2016 TV interview, recorded during a celebration of the Saints' 50th anniversary, Kilmer denied lingering rumors that he had been Dempsey's holder. "I got out of the holding business a while ago," Kilmer recalled, "but it wasJoe Scarpati and it was a perfect hold." (Scarpati was a reserve defensive back.) Kilmer added, "when [Dempsey] kicked that ball, I knew he had made it. It was likeBabe Ruth hitting a 500-foot home run. He really nailed it. And that was atsea level."[11]
This dramatic victory is still the stuff of legend today. Dempsey was a big man who had been a lineman in junior college and semi-pro ball, even though he was born with no toes on his right foot, which was his kicking foot. He used a special flat-fronted kicking shoe. This win proved to be the only highlight of an otherwise dismal 2–11–1 season: Kilmer closed out the season by leading the Saints to six consecutive losses.
Frustrated after four years of the Saints' futility and sensing New Orleans would draftOle Miss starArchie Manning with the second overall pick of the1971 NFL draft, Kilmer asked to be traded and was granted his wish on January 23, 1971, when he was dealt to theWashington Redskins for linebackerTom Roussel and two draft selections.
The trade which brought Kilmer to the Redskins was the first trade the team made afterGeorge Allen replaced Bill Austin (who had been the interim head coach since Vince Lombardi's untimely death in August 1970) as the head coach.
Kilmer seemed destined for a reserve role behind futureHall of FamerSonny Jurgensen. However, this changed when Jurgensen suffered a severe shoulder injury in a pre-season game against theMiami Dolphins. Kilmer got the starting job and kept it for most of the next four seasons, but Jurgensen stayed on as his backup. The two players were friendly rivals during those years. 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", with Kilmer's wobbly passes being a slight favorite over Jurgensen's tight spiral.
Kilmer then led the resurgent Redskins to a 5–0 start in1971, but then the team ran into a midseason slump. Kilmer briefly lost his starting job as a result of the slide but regained it after Jurgensen again injured his shoulder. The next season, Kilmer led the1972 team to an NFC-best 11–3 record, while also leading the NFL in touchdown passes (19) and passer rating (84.8). In the postseason, Washington advanced to theSuper Bowl with their first postseason victories in 27 years. The final opponent would be the unbeatenMiami Dolphins, who were one win away from aPerfect season. Miami managed the strength of their rushing attack and selective passing fromBob Griese to two touchdowns while Washington had nothing to show for most of the game. Only a special-teams blunder saved the first shutout in Super Bowl history, as a blocked field goal-turned-fumble with two minutes remaining in the game byGaro Yepremian was recovered byMike Bass of Washington for a touchdown. However, Washington could not finish the comeback, as Kilmer was sacked byVern Den Herder as time expired with the team far from the end zone. For his part, Kilmer went 14-of-28 for 104 yards with three interceptions. The loss didn't dampen Kilmer's individual recognition as he was named to thePro Bowl and the All-NFC Team.
In1974, the Redskins acquired a third quarterback inNotre Dame starJoe Theismann who had been a star in theCanadian Football League for three seasons. Kilmer beat out both Jurgensen and Theismann for the starting job. Jurgensen retired at the end of the 1974 season. Kilmer remained with the Redskins until he retired after the1978 season. 1978 was also the season when Theismann finally took over Kilmer's starting quarterback position, although Kilmer did start two games that season, winning one of them.
During his time with the Redskins, Kilmer became one of the few remaining users of a single-barface mask on thehelmet, as multi-bar face masks became the norm in the NFL. Theismann also wore the single-bar throughout his career. Kilmer finished his 18-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.
| Legend | |
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| Led the league | |
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | Sacks | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Y/A | Lng | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Sck | Yds | ||
| 1961 | SFO | 11 | 0 | 0-0 | 19 | 34 | 55.9 | 286 | 8.4 | 28 | 0 | 4 | 44.1 | 96 | 509 | 5.3 | 31 | 10 | 8 | 71 |
| 1962 | SFO | 12 | 9 | 0-1 | 8 | 13 | 61.5 | 191 | 14.7 | 73 | 1 | 3 | 91.5 | 93 | 478 | 5.1 | 35 | 5 | 2 | 27 |
| 1964 | SFO | 10 | 2 | 0-0 | 8 | 14 | 57.1 | 92 | 6.6 | 24 | 1 | 1 | 71.1 | 36 | 113 | 3.1 | 14 | 0 | 2 | 24 |
| 1966 | SFO | 6 | 0 | 0-0 | 5 | 16 | 31.3 | 84 | 5.3 | 26 | 0 | 1 | 24.0 | 3 | 23 | 7.7 | 13 | 0 | 2 | 12 |
| 1967 | NOR | 10 | 4 | 0-4 | 97 | 204 | 47.5 | 1,341 | 6.6 | 96 | 6 | 11 | 56.4 | 20 | 142 | 7.1 | 31 | 1 | 18 | 147 |
| 1968 | NOR | 12 | 11 | 4-7 | 167 | 315 | 53.0 | 2,060 | 6.5 | 51 | 15 | 17 | 66.9 | 21 | 97 | 4.6 | 22 | 2 | 26 | 170 |
| 1969 | NOR | 14 | 14 | 5-9 | 193 | 360 | 53.6 | 2,532 | 7.0 | 52 | 20 | 17 | 74.9 | 11 | 18 | 1.6 | 12 | 0 | 22 | 212 |
| 1970 | NOR | 13 | 10 | 2-8 | 135 | 237 | 57.0 | 1,557 | 6.6 | 46 | 6 | 17 | 55.5 | 12 | 42 | 3.5 | 15 | 0 | 19 | 155 |
| 1971 | WAS | 14 | 13 | 8-4-1 | 166 | 306 | 54.2 | 2,221 | 7.3 | 71 | 13 | 13 | 74.0 | 17 | 5 | 0.3 | 3 | 2 | 16 | 110 |
| 1972 | WAS | 12 | 10 | 7-3 | 120 | 225 | 53.3 | 1,648 | 7.3 | 89 | 19 | 11 | 84.8 | 3 | -3 | -1.0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 67 |
| 1973 | WAS | 10 | 10 | 7-3 | 122 | 227 | 53.7 | 1,656 | 7.3 | 64 | 14 | 9 | 81.3 | 9 | 10 | 1.1 | 5 | 0 | 15 | 88 |
| 1974 | WAS | 11 | 10 | 7-3 | 137 | 234 | 58.5 | 1,632 | 7.0 | 51 | 10 | 6 | 83.5 | 6 | 27 | 4.5 | 10 | 0 | 13 | 96 |
| 1975 | WAS | 12 | 12 | 8-4 | 178 | 346 | 51.4 | 2,440 | 7.1 | 96 | 23 | 16 | 77.2 | 11 | 34 | 3.1 | 11 | 1 | 23 | 138 |
| 1976 | WAS | 10 | 9 | 7-2 | 108 | 206 | 52.4 | 1,252 | 6.1 | 53 | 12 | 10 | 70.3 | 13 | -7 | -0.5 | 2 | 0 | 15 | 125 |
| 1977 | WAS | 8 | 8 | 5-3 | 99 | 201 | 49.3 | 1,187 | 5.9 | 59 | 8 | 7 | 66.5 | 10 | 20 | 2.0 | 12 | 0 | 22 | 180 |
| 1978 | WAS | 5 | 2 | 1-1 | 23 | 46 | 50.0 | 316 | 6.9 | 50 | 4 | 3 | 74.2 | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 22 |
| Career | 170 | 124 | 61-52-1 | 1,585 | 2,984 | 53.1 | 20,495 | 6.9 | 96 | 152 | 146 | 71.6 | 362 | 1,509 | 4.2 | 35 | 21 | 216 | 1,644 | |
| Year | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | Sacks | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Y/A | Lng | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Sck | Yds | ||
| 1971 | WAS | 1 | 1 | 0-1 | 11 | 27 | 40.7 | 106 | 3.9 | 16 | 2 | 1 | 61.7 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 13 |
| 1972 | WAS | 3 | 3 | 2-1 | 35 | 60 | 58.3 | 398 | 6.6 | 51 | 3 | 3 | 74.2 | 6 | 36 | 6.0 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 23 |
| 1973 | WAS | 1 | 1 | 0-1 | 13 | 24 | 54.2 | 159 | 6.6 | 30 | 1 | 1 | 71.4 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1974 | WAS | 1 | 1 | 0-1 | 7 | 18 | 38.9 | 99 | 5.5 | 41 | 0 | 0 | 57.4 | 2 | 5 | 2.5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1976 | WAS | 1 | 1 | 0-1 | 26 | 49 | 53.1 | 298 | 6.1 | 30 | 2 | 2 | 68.2 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 |
| Career | 7 | 7 | 2-5 | 92 | 178 | 51.7 | 1,060 | 6.0 | 51 | 8 | 7 | 68.6 | 9 | 41 | 4.6 | 9 | 0 | 5 | 44 | |
It was during the 1970 season, his last in New Orleans, that rumors stirred that Kilmer missed curfew before a game against theDenver Broncos.[citation needed]
Kilmer's most memorable night on the town came early Monday morning December 6, 1971 after beating theGiants 23–7. He got arrested at theToddle House, a coffee shop inArlington, Virginia. Apparently, Kilmer and an unidentified female friend attempted to pay a $4 tab (about $30 in 2023) with a $100 bill (about $743 in 2023) and an argument ensued with their waitress.[12] A local police officer named Edmund D. Sheroshick showed up, and Kilmer, told the policeman, “If you think I’m wrong, put me in jail!” Officer Sheroshick did exactly that, but Kilmer was released in plenty of time for his next team practice. In the next few days, Kilmer won the hearts of fans by leading the Redskins to a 38–24 victory over theLos Angeles Rams onMonday Night Football which clinched a playoff berth, and also by telling the waitress she could keep the $100 as a tip. Ironically, Officer Sheroshick was disciplined after getting into an altercation of his own on earlyChristmas Eve morning at the exact same Toddle House. Even though he was off-duty and was not drunk, the officer had violated his department's rules by driving hiscruiser while drinking.
On December 11,1976, Kilmer was arrested for drunk driving less than two days before a game against theDallas Cowboys.[13] He was released in time to lead the Redskins to a 27–13 victory on Sunday, December 12, on the road atTexas Stadium.[14]
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 theAmerican 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 inMobile, Alabama, in support of theGMAC Bowl.
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