Originally drafted by San Francisco in 1961 as a tailback, Kilmer’s career looked promising rushing for 10 Td’s in his rookie year and alternating in and out at quarterback. Then at the end of the 1962 season, he was involved in a near fatal car accident where doctors seriously considered amputating his injured leg. He missed the ’64 season and was never more than a back-up when the Saints took him in the expansion draft in 1967. Even then he was expected to be only a backup to starters Gary Wood and Gary Cuozzo. By 1968 though, Kilmer, the fiery, hardnosed leader of the early Saints, emerged as the undisputed starter. His on-field exploits (as well as his off-field) remain legend. His 6 td passes against St. Louis in 1969 are still a team record.
Even after leaving New Orleans in 1971, Kilmer proved his best days were still ahead. In 8 seasons at Washington, 5 were playoff appearances-including a Super Bowl in 1972.
Passing
| Year |
Attempts |
Completions |
% |
Yards |
Avg |
TDs |
Int |
| 1967 |
204 |
97 |
47.5% |
1341 |
6.6 |
6 |
11 |
| 1968 |
315 |
167 |
53% |
2060 |
6.5 |
15 |
17 |
| 1969 |
360 |
193 |
53.6% |
2532 |
7.0 |
20 |
17 |
| 1970 |
237 |
135 |
56.9% |
1557 |
6.6 |
6 |
17 |
| Totals |
1116 |
592 |
53.0% |
7490 |
6.7 |
47 |
62 |
Rushing
| Year |
Attempts |
Yards |
Average |
TDs |
| 1967 |
20 |
142 |
7.1 |
1 |
| 1968 |
21 |
97 |
4.6 |
2 |
| 1969 |
11 |
18 |
1.6 |
0 |
| 1970 |
12 |
42 |
3.5 |
0 |
| Totals |
64 |
299 |
4.6 |
3 |
