Billy Kilmer William Orland Kilmer , Jr . ( born September 5 , 1939 in Topeka , Kansas ) was an American football quarterback in the National Football League for the San Francisco 49ers , the New Orleans Saints and the Washington Redskins . He played college football for the UCLA Bruins . Early life . A native of Azusa , California , 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 - America n 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 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 . 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 drafted in the first round ( eleventh overall ) of the 1961 NFL Draft 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 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 . 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 . Washington Redskins . As the first trade during the George Allen era in Washington , Kilmer was destined for a reserve role behind future Hall of Fame r 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 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 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 new Redskins 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 . 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 . 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