Jim Plunkett was a football quarterback for Stanford University from 1968-1970. And if I left some clothes on the floor, she would step on them and find out. She always knew. He received several accolades during his career, including the only Heisman Trophy (1970) in school history. He was a quarterback, although the coaches weren't so sure he should be. His final seasons in a backup role included the Green Bay Packers team that won Super Bowl XXXI. TUP 83. "We're as close as any group of guys can be," says Plunkett. And we've known that we're there for each other.". In 1971, he was drafted with the first overall pick in the NFL draft by the New England Patriots (the team was still known as the Boston Patriots at the time of the draft; the name change to New England did not become official until March 21 of that year). He was elected to the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame in 1990. He's still connected to the Raiders. He is estimated to be worth $10 million, with the majority of his money coming from his NFL career. He was the starting quarterback for the Stanford Cardinal from 1968 to 1970. Two forgettable seasons with the San Francisco 49ers were followed by two fruitless years with the Raiders, who plucked him from the NFL scrapheap but buried him on the bench. His parents were both blind. No rushing or total offense stats currently available for Plunkett. Teammates never doubted who was in command if they didn't do their jobs. My father, and later on my sisters, prepared most of the meals. The defense included linebacker Jeff Siemon, '72, and tackle Pete Lazetich, '72, who became first-team All-Americans the following season and helped lead Stanford back to the Rose Bowl. ''I tell people that one of the things that always annoyed my parents was having others thinking they were handicapped. Wins over Oregon State and Washington nailed down the Pac-8 title and a January 1 Rose Bowl berth. California and was a high school star there. "I don't know where I would have gone," Plunkett says, "but I would have transferred. It's the trudge of 15 surgeries and back pain that makes it difficult for him to stand for more than an hour at a time. Prior to retiring, he earned between $400,000 and $600,000 per year. Jim Plunkett, Class: Induction: 1990 Sport(s): - Position: Quarterback Years: 1968-1970 Place of Birth: Santa Clara, CA Date of Birth: Dec 05, 1947 Jersey . His father died before his junior season and Plunkett made sure there was time to spend with his mother no matter how great the pressures at Stanford. Plunkett's father was a news vendor afflicted with progressive blindness, who had to support his blind wife along with their three children. JIM PLUNKETT is on a roll. The tumor turned out to be benign, but Plunkett has never forgotten the generosity shown by Rust. Upon entering Stanford University, Plunkett endured a rough freshman campaign after being weakened by a thyroid operation. With all the obstacles he went through, Jim never quit. ''One parent always was taking care of the other. I still feel good when I think about it.". Any time that I didn't do that, I heard about it. Were jim plunkett's parents blind? Physically and mentally, I was not in the best shape. 111 Broadway, Suite 103A Prominent among the photos and memorabilia is a famous trophy depicting a football player in a classic stiff-arm pose. ", In 2009, Jim, Gerry and their daughter, Meghan, filmed an episode of the TV program Dog Whisperer (scheduled to air in October 2010) featuring the pit bull, Gotti, that had belonged to Jimmy. A month before his enrollment, Plunkett was told by doctors that the lump he had felt at the base of his neck was cancerous. Despite some impressive moments in the Silver and Black, he will never make the Hall of Fame. Early life []. Jim Plunkett wanted out, but Al Davis balked. They delighted last summer in the wedding of their daughter, Meghan, but theyre still mourning the loss of their son, James Jr., who was 25 when he died in November 2008. The Northern California native, who was born to blind parents, chose Stanford University to remain close to them. 3 quarterback, Plunkett didn't play in 1978. He is the only eligible two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback who has not been voted in. While Jim Plunketts story is a well-known one, he is not a Hall of Fame quarterback; he is considered an unlikely figure in the movie industry. Plunkett, the most celebrated player in Stanford history, won his schools first Heisman after leading the Indians to an 8-3 record and a Rose Bowl berth. Completing 13-of-21 passes and three scoring strikes, two to Cliff Branch and an 80-yarder to Kenny King, he accounted for all of Oakland's touchdowns in the 27-10 victory. Mike Antonucci is the senior writer at Stanford. As White notes, the Stanford coaching staff had learned football as mostly an exercise in running the ball. [14] The Raiders, however, believing that Marc Wilson did not have the experience they wanted, called on Plunkett to start for the remainder of the year. Then followed three sensational seasons at Stanford, culminating with the 1970 Heisman Trophy. With a Super Bowl MVP in hand, Plunkett's comeback season was complete. Rust didn't hesitate: We will honor your scholarship, he said. He also helped them get their own food and stuff. They were too busy taking care of my sisters and me. ''I'd go there and help him,'' Jim Plunkett said. Otherwise, Plunkett might not have been playing for the Oakland Raiders in the fall of 1980, when the Heisman Trophy winner from Stanford jump-started an improbable career resurrection that culminated in two Super Bowl victories. And he ended up an emblem of individual and shared achievement on a team that's linked forever by one revered season. AWR 80. Plunkett, 63, is still involved with the Raiders, co-hosting a team-produced weekly television program, The Silver and Black Show, and sitting in Davis box during games. I do feel somewhat slighted, Plunkett says. He became the second multiple recipient of the W.J. There was a famous juncture at which Stanford head coach John Ralston, an eventual college football Hall of Famer, almost coached Plunkett out of quarterback contention. Oklahoma's Chuck Fairbanks replaced John Mazur as Patriots coach in 1973 and installed an offense that had Plunkett running some option plays and continuing to take a beating. William was legally blind and worked as a news vendor, in addition to working as a news vendor. Plunkett completed 16 of 25 passes for 172 yards and a touchdown in the game. UCLA coach Tommy Prothro had called Plunkett the "best pro quarterback prospect I've ever seen", echoing Sweeney's words from the year prior. As the No. Back-to-back winning seasons had been blemished by key losses, and they were down to their last chance to win a championship. ", I got so many great letters. His parents were poor and blind, but they were very proud. The surgery required to remove a malignant tumor would end his football playing days. Early Years. Though Plunkett threw five interceptions in the 31-17 defeat, he got the start the next week for the 2-3 Raiders, who thought rookie Marc Wilson was too green. Theyre both very important to me, Plunkett says of his Super Bowl victories, but the first one, after the resurrection, the struggle, the payoff at the end was quite incredible.. The most prestigious award in college football. He is a role model for never giving up. By their senior season in 1970, the insecurities that had pulled them all together had matured into a deep bond, stoked by stubborn dreams and maddening frustration. "I got so many great letters. Our type of system was almost perfect for Jim, Flores says. ''So if I had quit, she probably would have liked that. He competed in basketball, baseball, track and wrestling - earning a California High School Individual Wrestling Championship. Learn more about sponsorship opportunities! Read our IMPACT:blog to see how teachers, visitors and organizations around the world are using MY HERO to affect positive changes in the world. His parents are blind. He even spent two seasons on the bench with the Raiders. Plunkett's Stanford career nearly ended before it began. Several worthy Raiders, including Daryl Lamonica, Cliff Branch, and Lester Hayes, are no longer present in Canton, Ohio. (Photo: Bettmann/Corbis), THE HOME TEAM: Gerry and Meghan with Jim at their Atherton residence. Leading James Lick High School in San Jose to an unbeaten season as a senior, he was chosen for a state all-star game and was heavily recruited by colleges. [19], 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. STR 59. A month before his enrollment, Plunkett was told by doctors that the lump he had felt at the base of his neck was cancerous. Learn more about select judges in the MY HERO International Film Festival. But his stellar performances week after week, as well as a bootstrapped marketing campaign by the athletic department (see sidebar), increased Plunkett's visibility. He 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. '', When he and his mother, Carmen, took walks, he would describe the scenery to her. Only his family means more, and even in that context, there is a special rapport. Plunkett, the most celebrated player in Stanford history, won his school's first Heisman after leading the Indians to an 8-3 record and a Rose Bowl berth. Plunkett capped his college career by leading Stanford to a 27-17 victory over undefeated No. Success as a California high school quarterback was followed by an unsteady start in college, a beginning in which his coach almost took the ball from his hands. In the 1984 Super Bowl, Plunkett passed for 172 yards and one touchdown in the Raiders' 38-9 rout of Washington, to that point the biggest Super Bowl victory margin. [10], When Jim was growing up, the family's financial situation was a big problem for him. At this time, Heisman voters are spread out across five regions. ''My father was legally blind from birth, but he could get around.He. It took a lot of courage to get there. Rust, now 82, remembers making that promise impulsively, confident that Stanford would back him up. He achieved his greatest professional success during his final eight seasons with the Raiders franchise, whom he led to two Super Bowl titles.[1]. "He has to be one of the great comeback stories of our time," said Raiders owner Al Davis. ''My father was legally blind from birth, but he could get around.He could see a little bit. "The best college football player I've ever seen," said Washington State coach Jim Sweeney. This is a question our experts keep getting from time to time. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the first round of the 1971 NFL Draft and went on to have a successful career in the league. They met while attending the California School for the Blind in Berkeley, and were married in 1934. He was a member of the National Football Leagues Atlanta Falcons for 16 seasons. But more than most athletes, he understands perspective. He chose to play for Stanford in part because he wanted to stay close to his parents, both of whom were blind. I took a tough road to get where I finally got.. Watch our short introduction video for more information. Jim attended James Lick High School in East San Jose, California.He won the Heisman Trophy in 1970 as quarterback for Stanford University. (Photo: Courtesy Jim Plunkett), HISTORY LESSON: The memorabilia room in Plunketts home is a reminder of his playing days, as are his knees, replaced a few years ago with titanium and Teflon. In the "Year of the Quarterback," he was voted the Heisman Trophy, easily beating out Notre Dame's Joe Theismann and Mississippi's Archie Manning. While at Stanford he joined Delta Tau Delta International Fraternity. The NFL's Comeback Player of the Year then "We socialize together, we do business together, and we tell lies together about how great we used to be.". He would have been so proud to have been around all that. ''She had a bad experience on a plane a few years ago coming back from visiting her family in New Mexico. draft, things like that. It was a memorable year as he surpassed many of his league records, passing for 2,715 yards and 18 touchdowns as Stanford went 8-3 and won the Pac-8. He also owns a beer distributorship. He led the team to a Pac-8 Conference championship and a berth in the 1971 Rose Bowl. ''She also went to some of the Stanford games in Palo Alto,'' he said. He was a star quarterback in high school, and went on to play for Stanford University. Andrew Luck is regarded as one of the greatest athletes of all time in college football. Or if they wanted to clean the house, they cleaned the house. And our father would tell us to take care of our mother. I remember them saying that they weren't handicapped, that they could do just about anything except see. Surgery was required to remove a malignant tumor that would end his football playing days. Plunkett, Lasater and Schultz were there with friends and other former teammates before the Wake Forest game in September, reveling in the juiciest memories. Jim Plunkett (http://www.stanfordalumni.org/. Other quarterbacks who started for two Super Bowl winning teams but are not yet members of the Hall of Fame include Joe Gibbs Washington Redskins (Mark Rypien and Doug Williams), Tom Flores Oakland Raiders (Jim Plunkett), and Warren Moons San Francisco 49ers (Don Maynard). '', His father died at age 56 after Jim Plunkett's sophomore year at Stanford. He was named Rookie of the Year that first season, but little worked out for either him or the team from that point on, and he took a steady beating behind the Pats' weak offensive line. He grew up in Santa Clara before the family sought less-expensive housing in San Jose. A native of San Jose, Calif., Plunkett graduated from Lick High in 1967, where he was a star athlete who competed in football, basketball, baseball, track and wrestling. The Raiders ignored his request and five weeks into the season, Plunkett's resurrection began. When my room was a mess, my mother always knew. Together they won Super Bowl XV, when Flores became the first minority . His mother, Carmen, was sightless since . Plunketts Stanford career nearly ended before it began. I have taught linguistics and phonetics at multiple universities for the past 15 years.Technology has made exciting advances in phonetics, the science concerned with the structure and function of human speech, in recent years. In 1983, Plunkett followed a similar script, this time taking the reins from Marc Wilson at midseason and helping the Raiders to their third and most recent NFL title. From the spoken words of influential leaders, to emotionally powerful lyrics in a song, heroic audio is all around us. [3] His tenure with the Patriots was productive, but after an injury-shortened 1975 season he was traded to the San Francisco 49ers, where he played in 1976 and 1977. His junior year was even better when he set league records for touchdown passes (20), passing yards (2,673) and total offense (2,786), ranking third nationally in total offense and fifth in passing. Three years later, Plunkett helped Oakland to another Super Bowl triumph, this one over Washington. Plunkett's father was a news vendor afflicted with progressive blindness, who had to support his blind wife along with their three children. CAR 70. The next season, he threw only 15 passes. Frances C. Arrillaga Alumni Center Prep Rally is devoted to the SoCal high school sports experience, bringing you scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular. The Raiders have never made the Pro Bowl or the All-Pro team, and everything they have done since the inception has been bad. Jim Plunkett, on the other hand, is well known as one of the most absent Raider. We took a lot of walks because neither of my parents could drive. For his career, Plunkett completed 1,943-of-3,701 passes for 25,882 yards with 164 touchdowns and 198 interceptions. Continuing to be effective, Plunkett finished second in the NFL in passing yards in 1973, and in 1974 led the Patriots to an impressive 6-1 start, and the team's first non losing season in eight years, finishing second in the NFL in team scoring with 348 points, seven behind league leader Oakland. Released from the 49ers after suffering further injuries, Plunkett signed with the Oakland Raiders for 1978. His performance led to Plunkett playing in a state all-star game and that in turn led to interest from numerous colleges. All artworks in our commercial free, age-appropriate Gallery are contributed by professional and student artists as well as curated from art institutions around the world. "It was almost a miracle," says White, "that Jim Plunkett showed up at Stanford exactly as we were searching for a new football identity.". This display of offensive firepower led Washington State coach Jim Sweeney to call Plunkett "The best college football player I've ever seen." In addition, the American College Football Coaches Association designated him as their Offensive Player of the Year. Plunkett also carries innumerable physical scars from his playing days. Sign-up for our newsletter to inspire your inbox. Last Update: May 30, 2022. "People had read about my parents, about my family life growing up," says Plunkett, his voice catching. The opponent: undefeated and heavily favored Ohio State. After a 59 season in 1977, the 49ers released him during the 1978 preseason. Geez, you'd think that we could have seen pretty quickly that he could throw the ball.". The rest of the Stanford cast was anything but ordinary. [7] Plunkett's father was a news vendor afflicted with progressive blindness, who had to support his blind wife along with their three children. Even Plunkett's buddies underestimated him occasionally. He was traded in 1976 to the 49ers, and in 1980, joined the Oakland Raiders and quarterbacked them to two Super Bowl wins in 1980 and 1983, and was named the MVP of the 1980 match-up. Jim Plunkett was born in San Francisco, California on December 5th, 1947. Resisting the temptation to turn pro in 1970, Plunkett stayed for his senior season. He did radio and television interviews after retiring from football, as well as weekly highlights shows on television, following his playing days. When Gerry Plunkett recently won her sixth Stanford Women's Golf Club championshipshe and Jim are avid players she told friends that an appropriate celebration should have included temporarily covering up her husband's Heisman, just to emphasize her moment in the spotlight. 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. 1 pick in the 1971 draft. Plunkett was born December 5, 1947 in Santa Clara, California and was a high school star there. It just felt unbelievable to me, Jim said, knowing what I did. Despite the fact that Andrew Lucks dazzling arm elevated the game to a whole new level, the notion that college football was primarily a running game was quickly overturned. 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. Plunkett's performance startled almost everyone as he completed 11-of-14 passes with one touchdown and no interceptions as Oakland defeated San Diego 38-24. ''My sisters would bring a radio so she could listen to what was happening. "Bob [Moore] and Jack Schultz came to our house every day," Gerry Plunkett recalls. But Plunkett was the face of the team's success, that strong chin like a pointer for his powerful arm. Friends helped talk him out of retiring and, two weeks later, he signed with the Raiders. In junior high school, he became a passing quarterback. [9] A doctor discovered a thyroid tumor, which nearly ended his college career. Jim Plunketts story is something out of a movie, and he has his rightful place in history, but he is not a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Anyone can read what you share. By this time, Jim's two older sisters, Genevieve (16 years older than Jim) and Mary Ann (5 years older than Jim) had been born; Jim was born in 1947, after the family had moved to Santa Clara. An outstanding high school wrestler, Plunkett struck Ralston and his staff as someone they might convert to a defensive end. "The team was full of an awful lot of talented guys as well as egos," says Schultz, who was a strong safety. He passed for 18 touchdowns and 2,299 yards during the season, guiding the Raiders to nine victories in their last 11 games and a wild-card spot in the playoffs. Jim Plunketts nomination to the Pro Football Hall of Fame is fraught with controversy. Surgery for a benign tumor in his neck in August 1966 slowed him physically and academically during his first year at Stanford. Her dad was afraid she'd stay in New York. His reputation was severely hampered by his shadow, and he was ignored andunderappreciated. Plunkett reflected that his life "sucks" as a result of his physical injuries. The 32-year-old Plunkett came off the bench to relieve Pastorini, throwing five interceptions in a 3117 loss. Throwing for 261 yards and three touchdowns, Plunkett was named the game's MVP; subsequently, Plunkett has the distinction of being the first minority to quarterback a team to a Super Bowl victory and the only Latino to be named Super Bowl MVP. Plunkett was selected by the New England Patriots as the number one overall draft choice in 1971. After surgery, Plunkett resumed playing too quickly and performed so poorly on the freshman team that then-Stanford coach John Ralston asked him to switch to defensive end. 326 Galvez Street He didn't want her to get burned on the stove.''. Despite this, Hart has largely been overlooked, despite his role in the Raiders organization. . Stanford went 22-8-2 in his three years, and he said his best game was a 27-17 victory over Ohio State in the Rose Bowl January 1, 1971. Plunkett was born to Mexican American parents with an Irish-German great-grandfather on his paternal side. "You look a lot worse than that," Plunkett responds. He was born into a poor family, and his father was a news vendor who supported his wife and three children by selling news. . 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"When I found out I'd finished second to Jim," said Theismann in 1984, "I was genuinely crushed. Some of them said my story gave them a new sense of purpose in life. Plunkett threw for 2,935 yards, 20 touchdown passes, and 18 picks in that season. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Fortunately, he says, I was able to take advantage.. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. Four hours before a Raiders preseason game in Oakland, Plunkett can walk in relative anonymity through the smattering of fans near the stadium's press entrance. Jim Plunkett learned about perspective growing up as the only son, along with two older sisters, of blind parents. 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 Plunkett, was born in Albuquerque. He played in two Super Bowls and was named Most Valuable Player in Super Bowl XV. These days, Plunkett and wife Gerry still live in the Bay Area, in Atherton, about a five-minute drive from Stanford. Before family and friends in Northern California, Plunkett had two inconsistent years with the 49ers and then was released before the 1978 season. Learn more here. Prior to the 1976 NFL Draft, Plunkett was traded to the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for quarterback Tom Owen, two first-round picks in 1976, and a first and second-round pick in 1977. In 1971, he was drafted by the New England Patriots, and he went on to have a successful career in the NFL. '', Jim Plunkett is reminded of that whenever he visits his mother now.