Jim Plunkett Biography

James William Plunkett, born on December 5, 1947, played American football as a professional quarterback in the NFL for 16 seasons. During his last eight seasons with the Raiders, he guided the team to victory in two Super Bowls. Jim Plunkett earned the Heisman Trophy during his college football career with the Stanford Indians in 1970. He was selected first overall by the New England Patriots in the 1971 NFL draft. Plunkett started as quarterback for the Raiders in 1980 and guided the team to victory in Super Bowl XV, earning MVP honors. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1990. In 1974 Plunkett guided the Patriots to a 6–1 start and a second-place finish in team scoring with 348 points, marking their first non losing season in eight years.