James William Plunkett was born on December 5,1947 and is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League for sixteen seasons.
34 Facts About Jim Plunkett
2.
Jim Plunkett achieved his greatest professional success during his final eight seasons with the Raiders franchise, whom he led to two Super Bowl titles.
3.
In 1983, Jim Plunkett again ascended from backup to starter to quarterback the relocated Los Angeles Raiders to victory in Super Bowl XVIII.
4.
Jim Plunkett is the only eligible quarterback with two Super Bowl wins as a starter not to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
5.
Jim Plunkett was born to Mexican-American parents with an Irish-German grandfather on his paternal side.
6.
Jim Plunkett's father was a news vendor afflicted with progressive blindness, who had to support his blind wife along with their three children.
7.
Jim Plunkett's parents were both born in New Mexico, both Mexican Americans; his mother, whose maiden name was Carmen Blea, was born in Santa Fe and his father, William Gutierrez Jim Plunkett, was born in Albuquerque.
8.
When Jim Plunkett was growing up, the family's financial situation was a big problem for him.
9.
Jim Plunkett did not like the area he lived in, often did not have money for dates, and avoided bringing friends to his house.
10.
Jim Plunkett worked from an early age, cleaning up at a gas station while in elementary school, delivering newspapers, bagging groceries, and working in orchards.
11.
Jim Plunkett showed his talent for tossing the football by winning a throwing contest at the age of 14 with a heave of over 60 yards.
12.
Jim Plunkett competed in basketball, baseball, track and wrestling - earning a California High School Individual Wrestling Championship.
13.
Jim Plunkett is on the Hall of Fame wall at James Lick.
14.
Jim Plunkett earned the opportunity to start in 1968, and in his first game, completed ten of thirteen passes for 277 yards and four touchdowns, and never relinquished his hold on the starting spot.
15.
Jim 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.
16.
Jim Plunkett beat Notre Dame's Joe Theismann and Archie Manning of Ole Miss to win the award.
17.
Jim Plunkett was the first Latino to win the Heisman Trophy.
18.
Jim Plunkett received the Voit Trophy in both 1969 and 1970.
19.
Jim Plunkett was the first player of Hispanic heritage to be drafted with the first overall pick in the NFL draft.
20.
Jim 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 fifteen in 1979.
21.
The Raiders believing that Marc Wilson did not have the experience they wanted, called on Jim Plunkett to start for the remainder of the year.
22.
Jim Plunkett guided Oakland to nine victories in eleven games and a playoff berth as a wild card.
23.
Jim Plunkett completed 16 of 25 passes for 172 yards and a touchdown in the game.
24.
In 1984, Jim Plunkett began the season as the Raiders' starter, but he suffered abdominal and hip injuries in Week 6 which made Wilson the starter for the rest of the season.
25.
The more experienced Jim Plunkett was named the starter for the playoffs, but the Raiders lost to the Seattle Seahawks in the wild card game.
26.
In 1985, Jim Plunkett was again injured, this time with a separated shoulder in Week 3.
27.
Jim Plunkett retired during the 1988 pre-season as the fourth-leading passer in Raiders history.
28.
Jim Plunkett holds the Raider record, and is tied for the league record, for the longest career pass, which occurred during a 99-yard pass play against the Washington Redskins on October 2,1983.
29.
Jim Plunkett retired as the only NFL quarterback to win two Super Bowls with the same franchise in different cities, winning his first while the Raiders were in Oakland and his second while they were in Los Angeles.
30.
Jim Plunkett is the subject of annual debate about whether he belongs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
31.
The arguments against his induction center on Jim Plunkett having only three winning seasons, unimpressive career statistics, and no Pro Bowl or All-Pro selections.
32.
Jim Plunkett was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1990, the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame in 1992 in San Francisco, California, and finally the California Sports Hall of Fame in 2007 in recognition for both his college and pro football careers.
33.
Jim Plunkett received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement presented by Awards Council member Roger Staubach in 1981.
34.
Jim Plunkett reflected that his life "sucks" as a result of his physical injuries.