William Orland Kilmer Jr. is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for the San Francisco 49ers, New Orleans Saints, and Washington Redskins. He was also used as a running back and wide receiver. He played college football for the UCLA 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 lineman Jim Marshall ran Kilmer's fumble back 66 yards into the wrong end zone.
Billy Kilmer at UCLA, 1959
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays its home games at Commanders Field in Landover, Maryland; its headquarters and training facility are in Ashburn, Virginia. The team has played more than 1,300 games and is one of only seven in the NFL with more than 600 total wins. Washington was among the first NFL franchises with a fight song, "Hail to the Commanders", played by their marching band after every touchdown scored by the team at home. The Commanders are owned by a group managed by Josh Harris, who acquired the team from Daniel Snyder in 2023 for $6.05 billion.
George Preston Marshall founded the team in 1932 and was the last NFL owner to integrate black players.
U.S. President Richard Nixon meeting with the team in November 1971
Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, the team's home field from 1961 through 1996, was cited as having a strong home field advantage.
Joe Theismann at Redskins training camp in 1983