Jim Plunkett

Jim Plunkett's background gave him every excuse for failure however through hard work, and a little good fortune, he would become a Heisman Trophy winner as well as Super Bowl winning quarterback.

Raised in meager surroundings by Mexican-American parent who were blind, Plunkett excelled at the game early on, demonstrating his talent for tossing the football by winning a throwing contest at the age of 14 with a heave of over 60 yards. After high school he entered Stanford University but a thyroid tumor seriously curtailed his freshman year. To regain his eroded skills, he threw up to 1,000 passes every day to polish his arm and eventually earned his first start in 1968.

In his first game Plunkett complete ten of thirteen pass attempts for 277 yards and four touchdowns ushering in an era of wide-open passing, pro-style offenses in the Pac-8. His successful junior season saw him set league records for touchdown passes (20), passing yards (2,673) and total offense (2, 786).

After the season Plunkett was eligible to enter the NFL draft but passed up the chance at a paycheck so he could set a good example to the Chicano youth he tutored and lectured on the importance of staying in school. He promptly led Stanford to a Pac-8 championship and their firt Rose Bowl appearance in 30 year, defeating Ohio State. With 21 touchdowns and 2,714 passing yards on the year Plunckett was awarded the Heisman Trophy beating out Joe Theismann, Kenny Anderon, Dan Pastorini, and Lyn Dickey.

During his two seasons as a starter Plunckett threw for 7, 544 yards and 52 touchdowns to become the first player to account for more than 7,000 yards in passing and total offense.

In 1971 he was drafted with the first overall pick in the NFL draft by the New England Patriots, winning Rookie of the Year honors. Unfortunately, this was the beginning of a roller-coaster pro career that would see Plunkett traded to the San Francisco 49ers in 1976 and then the Oakland Raiders in 1978.

After serving as the Raiders backup for two years, Plunkett's career took a major turn upwards when he stepped in for an injured Dan Pastorini and guided the Raiders to nine victories and an appearance in the playoffs. He would go on to help the team win three playoff games and capped his stunning resurgence by leading the Raiders to a 27-10 Super Bowl victory earning the games MVP. In 1983 Plunkett once again took over starting duties when injuries sidelined Marc Wilson, the Raiders starter. Plunkett would lead the team to 6 wins in their last 7 games and a 38-9 Super Bowl XVIII victory over the Washington Redskins.

Plunkett retired in 1987 season after a bad shoulder forced him to miss the entire season. During his17 year NFL career he completed 1,943 passes for 25,882 yards and 164 touchdowns, the fourth leading passer in Raiders history. Currently, Plunkett doe a post-game show of Raider games and is co-host of several Raider TV shows.