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 in 1961, 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 expansion Minnesota 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 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. His most memorable play as a 49er came in 1964 during a game against the Vikings at Kezar Stadium. On October 25, 1964 Kilmer fumbled after catching a pass from George Mira. The fumble was recovered by Vikings defensive end Jim Marshall, who infamously ran 66 yards in the wrong direction. 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 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. He was the starter for the team's first game, a 27-13 loss at home to the Los Angeles Rams. Kilmer lost his starting job in 1967 after the first three games (all losses), and was replaced by former Baltimore Colt quarterback Gary Cuozzo. However, Kilmer regained that job in 1968. His most prolific performance during his four-year stint with the team came in 1969, when he threw for 345 yards and six touchdowns in a 51–42 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on November 2. Kilmer's last win as the Saints' starting quarterback came on week 8 of the 1970 season. Coach Tom Fears had benched Kilmer after three season-opening losses in favor