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. He was regarded as a bust after being released by the 49ers in 2010. Although Plunkett is easily spotted at Stanford events and extends his help to each new generation of athletes, his connection to Lasater, Moore, Schultz and Vataha is part of his identity. He is also the only player to pass for 25, 882 yards, 164 touchdown passes, and 198 picks. His father was a police officer and his mother was a homemaker. Visitors, teachers, students, and MY HERO staff publish all kinds of stories, from inspirational essays about a close friend, to important global issues. At Stanford, Plunkett set a school records for passing yards (2,156) and touchdowns (14) as a sophomore, and then broke those records in subsequent seasons finishing his NCAA career with 7,809 passing yards and 53 touchdowns. Plunkett's Stanford career nearly ended before it began. 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). The most prestigious award in college football. Plunkett was selected by the New England Patriots as the number one overall draft choice in 1971. "People had read about my parents, about my family life growing up," says Plunkett, his voice catching. Carmen was also of Native American ancestry. His parents were poor and blind, but they were very proud. Resisting the temptation to turn pro in 1970, Plunkett stayed for his senior season. 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. SAC 81. Plunkett's Stanford career nearly ended before it began. As he grew up, Jim learned how to be his parent's eyes by helping them cross the street. Our gallery features art in the theme of heroism. 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. "We had experienced an awful lot of disappointment," including two straight defeats to USC on late field goals. Jim Plunkett was a football quarterback for Stanford University from 1968-1970. It was the low point in my career really hard to take, he says of the 49ers move. September 1st is the final deadline to submit work for the 2022 International Film Festival! We provide safe, convenient and unique travel experience using intel, modern technology and quality resources, after considering all threats to ensure clients arrive safely at their destinations. He was the first Latino to win the Heisman Trophy. The opponent: undefeated and heavily favored Ohio State. Born to blind parents, he worked odd jobs to help support his family as a teen and almost was forced to give up football when a cancerous lump was found in his neck during a physical examination before his freshman year at Stanford. 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. A doctor discovered a thyroid tumor, which nearly ended his college career. The surgery required to remove a malignant tumor would end his football playing days. Friends helped talk him out of retiring and, two weeks later, he signed with the Raiders. 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. We took a lot of walks because neither of my parents could drive. In addition to this, he became the second of four players to win the Heisman Trophy and Super Bowl MVP, alongside Roger Staubach, Marcus Allen, and Desmond Howard. That goes to show that Jim Plunkett never ever gave up, even after everybody else did. No rushing or total offense stats currently available for Plunkett. Unfortunately, Jims father died in 1969 when Jim was 21. Three years later, Plunkett helped Oakland to another Super Bowl triumph, this one over Washington. Then followed three sensational seasons at Stanford, culminating with the 1970 Heisman Trophy. "The show became kind of a tribute to him.". Perhaps the most profound expression of the men's continuing devotion occurred during the anguish that overwhelmed them when the Plunketts' 25-year-old son Jimmy died two years ago. [13] The Patriots finished the season at 68 for fourth place in the AFC East. Plunkett threw for 2,935 yards, 20 touchdown passes, and 18 picks in that season. But sometimes she would get too nervous to enjoy it. Finally, after Pastorini suffered a broken leg in early October, Plunkett was pressed into service. Tara VanDerveer took the Cardinal from doormat to dynamo and helped boost womens athletics. (Photo: Timothy Archibald), BAND OF BROTHERS: With Jack Lasater, Randy Vataha, Bob Murphy and Jack Schultz. A Heisman Trophy winner and future College Football Hall of Fame inductee at Stanford,[2] Plunkett was selected first overall by the New England Patriots in the 1971 NFL Draft. Randy Vataha had the same misgivings when he transferred in as a junior. Jim Plunkett, 74, was a former American football quarterback who played for the Philadelphia Packers and the Houston Texans. Carmen was also of Native American ancestry. Learn more about select judges in the MY HERO International Film Festival. He was a quarterback, although the coaches weren't so sure he should be. After all, the quarterback Jim Plunkett replaced early last season, Dan Pastorini, made nearly $360,000. ''The thing I'm sorry for,'' he said, ''is that my father worked so hard but he wasn't around for the best part -winning the Heisman Trophy, going to the Rose Bowl, being the No. Plunkett was the first player of Hispanic heritage to be drafted with the first overall pick in the NFL draft. They met while attending the California School for the Blind in Berkeley, and were married in 1934. Born to blind parents, he worked odd jobs to help support his family as a teen and almost was forced to give up football when a cancerous lump was . 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. He became the starting quarterback for the Raiders midway through the 1980 season. He was also named the nations top football player in addition to winning the Maxwell Award. The Raiders became the first team from the Wild Card era to win a Super Bowl. He gives of his time, his energy, his money, and he's got a genuine humility. "I'm 10 years older than you," says a sportswriter celebrating his 72nd birthday. Jack and Aletha were determined to give Jim a normal life, and he attended public schools and played sports. 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. Enter the 2022 MY Hero Songwriting/Music Video Contest! His parents were blind, and he chose nearby Stanford so he could be near them. He was traded to the San Francisco 49ers in 1976, released two seasons later, then signed by the Raiders. He was born to a blind mother and father.. The High Unemployment Rate Among Deaf People In Burundi. Plunkett was born to Mexican-American parents with an Irish-German grandfather on his paternal side. I was supposed to make my bed, but if I didn't, she'd walk in and feel the bed to see if I had. In the spring, his daughter, Meghan Plunkett, graduated with a business and marketing degree from Manhattan College in New York, which she attended on a volleyball scholarship. The first time he demonstrated athletic promise was at the age of 14, when he won a throwing contest with a toss of over 60 yards. He didn't play well for the freshman team, and when his performance didn't improve the next spring, coach John Ralston suggested a switch to defensive end. Plunkett, 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds, rejected the idea, and Ralston redshirted him in 1967. He worked from an early age, cleaning up at a gas station while in elementary school, delivering newspapers, bagging groceries, and working in orchards. 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. "We came so close to making an unbelievably catastrophic decision. James William Plunkett (born December 5, 1947) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for sixteen seasons. Jim Plunkett was the 1970 Heisman Trophy winner at Stanford and led the Raiders to two Super Bowl victories in the 1980s. "I'm proud of that game," Plunkett said of Oakland's 27-10 victory over Philadelphia. Life, it seems, has been a struggle for Plunkett. But Plunkett had a huge senior year, passing for 2,715 yards and 19 touchdowns as upstart Stanford won the Pac-8 title. The tumor turned out to be benign, but Plunkett has never forgotten the generosity shown by Rust. 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. '', During his two years in oblivion, his mother was more concerned about him than his career. He also helped them get their own food and stuff. Ball Carrier. Early Years. Jim was drafted by the New England Patriots in the first round of the 1971 NFL Draft. Plunkett was the only quarterback who led his team to two Super Bowl victories, and he is the only starter to lead his team to two Super Bowl victories but is not eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Jim Plunketts nomination to the Pro Football Hall of Fame is fraught with controversy. But he taught us a new meaning to the word temperament as we rode his success. Also Read: Mike Golic General. After returning to the backup role in 1983, Plunkett again assumed starting duties, this time after an injury to Marc Wilson. THP 86. Learn more about sponsorship opportunities! Plunkett excelled in athletics from a young age and went on to attend Stanford University on a football scholarship. He was a hard-knocks kid from San Jose, a Mexican-American with an Irish surname, who gravitated to Stanford in part because he wanted to stay close to his parents, both of whom were blind. MAC 76. He led the Raiders to a Super Bowl victory over the Philadelphia Eagles in 1981. His mother then took a job as a bank teller to support the family. Jim Plunkett was born in San Jose, California, to parents of Native American and Hispanic descent. [9] During training camp in 1980, Plunkett asked to be traded because he expected to have virtually no playing time again. He played for the 49ers for two seasons, before being released in 1977. Today, he carries the various hurts he has sufferedphysical and emotionalgamely. "I worried more about Stanford being good enough for Jim Plunkett," he says. Poor Jim Plunkett. . He played quarterback on the schools football team and was named the Most Valuable Player of the 1965 North Coast Section championship game. Some of them said my story gave them a new sense of purpose in life. Plunkett is on the Hall of Fame wall at James Lick. Jim Plunkett was born in San Francisco, California, on December 5, 1947. His mother lives in San Jose with Mary Ann, the younger of his two sisters. His zodiac sign is Sagittarius, and his ethnicity is white, making him an American by nationality. The family lived in relative poverty, and received state financial aid. His career began as a backup to Plunkett but he was never able to establish himself as a starter. Click here to donate. Despite his strong first two seasons, Plunkett was a long-shot Heisman candidate compared to the other favorites: quarterbacks Archie Manning of Mississippi and Joe Theismann of Notre Dame. 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. He was named the NFLs Comeback Player of the Year in 1981. William Plunkett first worked in the Richmond shipyards. He wore very thick glasses,'' he said. ''But growing up, I didn't feel like I had to take care of either my father or my mother. The next year he was, to San Francisco. ''I know my mother didn't make the trip to New Orleans for the Super Bowl because she doesn't fly anymore,'' he said. 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. He spent the first seven seasons of his career with the New England Revolution and San Francisco 49ers before being released by both organizations in 1978. Were jim plunkett's parents blind? [9], The Plunketts moved to California during World War II. Ever since then, her doctor hasn't wanted her to fly. As he grew up, Jim learned how to be his parent's "eyes" by helping them cross the street. That game is credited with returning the Stanford football program to prominence, and Plunkett's performance helped established a template for what soon became a college football staple: offenses dedicated to passing the ball. A month before his enrollment, Plunkett was told by doctors that the lump he had felt at the base of his neck was cancerous. "We'd all gone to public schools instead of prep schools, and none of us had a lump of cash in our pocket," Lasater recalls. Jims parents also gave him a fighting spirit because even though they were blind, they didnt want to be treated any differently than anyone else. The coaches realized everything had to be different, and they happened to discover the difference maker. Plunkett's first game was a 206 victory over the Oakland Raiders, the Patriots' first regular-season contest at Schaefer Stadium. draft, things like that. Jim Plunkett is the first Latino to win the prestigious award. It was probably very hard to live with blind parents, but Jim figured out a way to do it. Plunkett went on to an NFL career that included two Super Bowl victories while quarterbacking the Raiders, but also included years of physical trauma that left him hobbled and in near constant pain. ", I got so many great letters. ''She also went to some of the Stanford games in Palo Alto,'' he said. RUN 80. He wasnt selected to the Pro Bowl, never made the All-Pro team, and completed less than half of his passes. "Many people felt I was washed up, and I wasn't sure they were wrong. "I was extremely quiet when I got to Stanford," acknowledges Plunkett. 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. 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. With a Super Bowl MVP in hand, Plunkett's comeback season was complete. She's 67 now and I don't think she went to any of the Raider games last year. As a result, he is revered not only for his achievements at Stanford, but also for his humility and loyalty from the start. ", 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.

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