Jim Plunkett

For the Irish Writer, see James Plunkett.

Jim Plunkett at NFL.com

James W. "Jim" Plunkett (born December 5, 1947 in San Jose, California) is a former American football quarterback who played collegiately for Stanford University, where he won the Heisman Trophy, and professionally for three National Football League teams: the New England Patriots, San Francisco 49ers and Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders.

Biography

Born to Mexican-American parents, Plunkett's father was a news vendor afflicted with progressive blindness, who had to support his blind wife along with their three children. In an effort to aid the family's financial situation, Plunkett worked a series of odd jobs while growing up, including serving as a gas station attendant, grocery store clerk and as a laborer on construction sites. In an acknowledgement of his Mexican roots, Plunkett chose the fictional character of Zorro, the Spanish Robin Hood, as his hero.

Prior to attending James Lick High School in East San Jose, California, he showed his talent for tossing the football by winning a throwing contest at the age of 14 with a heave of over 60 yards. Once he arrived at the school, he played quarterback and defensive end for the football team, with his athletic ability also helping him compete in basketball, baseball, track and wrestling as well.

College

Upon entering Stanford University, Plunkett endured a rough freshman campaign after being weakened by a thyroid operation. His performance originally caused head coach John Ralston to switch him to defensive end, but Plunkett was adamant in remaining at quarterback, throwing 500 to 1,000 passes every day to polish his arm. He earned the opportunity to start in 1968, and in his first game, completed ten of thirteen passes for 277 yards and four touchdowns, never relinquishing his hold on the starting spot. Plunkett's arrival ushered in an era of wide-open passing, pro-style offenses in the Pac-8, a trend that has continued to the present.

His successful junior campaign saw him set league records for touchdown passes (20), passing yards (2,673) and total offense (2,786). This display of offensive firepower led Washington State coach Jim Sweeney to call Plunkett the "The best college football player I've ever seen." After his junior year, Plunkett became eligible to enter the NFL draft, which would have given him a chance to earn a large roster bonus for himself and his mother. He passed up the chance at a paycheck, however, so that he could set a good example to the chicano youth he had tutored and lectured and their first Rose Bowl appearance since World War II, a game that ended with a 27-17 Stanford victory over the favored Ohio State Buckeyes.

With eighteen passing and three rushing touchdowns added to his 2,715 passing yards on the year (which broke his own conference record), Plunkett was awarded the 1970 Heisman Trophy given annually to the top college football player in the country. Though he had set so many records on the season, 1970 had been the "Year of the Quarterback," and Plunkett beat out Notre Dame's Joe Theismann and Archie Manning of Ole Miss to win the award. Aside from the Heisman, he captured the Maxwell Award for the nation's best quarterback and was named player of the year by United Press International, The Sporting News, and Sport Magazine. In addition, the American College Football Coaches Association designated him as their Offensive Player of the Year.

NFL

Before he entered the NFL, UCLA coach Tommy Prothro had called him the "best pro quarterback prospect I've ever seen," echoing Sweeney's words from the year prior. His excellent arm strength and precision made him attractive to pro teams that relied much more heavily on the passing game than most college teams of the late 1960s. In 1971 he was drafted with the 1st overall pick in the NFL draft by the New England Patriots, and won NFL Rookie of the Year honors. The Patriots finished the season at 6-8, fourth place in the AFC East --- a marked improvement from their 2-12 last-place finish of the season before. New England also influenced the AFC East championship race, as Plunkett's long, late touchdown pass on the final day of the season dropped the Baltimore Colts to a 10-4-0 record and into second placed in the division behind the 10-3-1 Miami Dolphins.

Plunkett's touchdowns dropped and his interceptions rose in the coming seasons, however, and he struggled with injuries and a shaky offensive line for the rest of his tenure in New England. In 1976 he was traded to the San Francisco 49ers, and led the team to a 6-1 start before faltering to an 8-6 record. The 49ers released him during the 1978 preseason.

Plunkett then joined the Oakland Raiders in 1978, serving in a reserve capacity over the next two years, throwing no passes in 1978 and just 15 passes in 1979. However, five weeks into the 1980 NFL season, his career took a major turn upward when starting QB Dan Pastorini broke his leg in a game against the Kansas City Chiefs. The 33-year Plunkett came off the bench to relieve Pastorini and had a terrible performance, throwing 5 interceptions in a 31-17 loss. But the Raiders, thinking that Marc Wilson did not have the experience they wanted, called on Plunkett to start for the remainder of the year. In his first game as a starter, he completed eleven of fourteen passes with a touchdown and no interceptions, beginning one of the greatest comeback stories in the history of sport. Plunkett guided Oakland to nine victories in eleven games and a playoff berth as a wild-card. Then, even more remarkably, rather than suffering an early defeat which marks the typical fate of NFL wild card teams, Plunkett led the Raiders to four playoff victories, including the first-ever victory by a wild card team in the Super Bowl, defeating the Philadelphia Eagles, 27-10, in Super Bowl XV. Throwing for 261 yards and three touchdowns, Plunkett was named the game's MVP.

After returning to the backup role in 1983, Plunkett again took over starting duties, this time after an injury to Wilson. The Raiders advanced to Super Bowl XVIII, where they dominated the Washington Redskins, 38-9, in the most one-sided game in Super Bowl history to that point. Plunkett completed 16 of 25 passes for 172 yards and a touchdown in the game.

Plunkett spent most of his last three seasons either injured or as a backup. He retired after the 1986 season, and is currently the fourth-leading passer in Raiders history.

Currently, Plunkett does a post-game radio show of Raiders games, and is a co-host of several Raiders TV shows.

See also

• Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame

External links

• Jim Plunkett: Every Underdog Has His Day
• ESPN Classic - Plunkett kept coming back
• Jim Plunkett Profile at Rosebowl Legends