Throughout National Football League history, there is only one legendary starting quarterback who won two Super Bowl rings and who’s yet to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame despite being eligible. San Jose native Jim Plunkett, who is Latino and Native American, is now 76 years old and is still awaiting the coveted induction and gold jacket.
But this month, the renowned Raiders quarterback received a significant boost behind his nomination into the Hall’s Class of 2025 with letters of support from State Senator Dave Cortese, Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia, the California Latino Legislative Caucus, the Native American Legislative Caucus and his alma mater, Stanford University.
What’s more, the inaugural Seniors Selection Committee of the Pro Football Hall of Fame placed Plunkett’s name in contention after narrowing the original candidate list of 182 down to 60. On Oct. 22, the committee narrowed the list further to 31, with Plunkett’s name still included, but will now vote on only nine semifinalists come November.
Plunkett, who lives in Atherton, starred in the NFL and has an inspirational life story of overcoming all the odds. He was born on Dec. 5, 1947, in San Jose to Mexican-American parents, William Gutierrez Plunkett and Carmen Blea. His mother was also of Cherokee Native American ancestry. But both parents suffered from blindness, and his family faced much economic hardship growing up. His father died at the age of 56 in 1969 just after his sophomore year in college.
But it was at East San Jose’s James Lick High School where Plunkett rose as a star athlete competing in football, basketball, baseball, track and wrestling after previously attending Overfelt High School.
He went on to graduate from Stanford, where he led the football team as quarterback to a Rose Bowl victory by defeating top-ranked Ohio State 27-17. He was subsequently awarded the Heisman Trophy in 1970, becoming the first Latino/Native American and the only Stanford player to ever win the prestigious honor.
In 1971, Plunkett was chosen for the first overall pick in the NFL Draft by the Boston Patriots, becoming the first Latino/Native American player to ever be drafted with the first overall pick. Plunkett would later play for the San Francisco 49ers from 1976 to 1978.
But in 1978, he joined the Oakland Raiders under legendary coach Tom Flores and led his team to four playoff victories, including the first-ever victory by a wild card team in Super Bowl XV on Jan. 25, 1981, over the Philadelphia Eagles. Plunkett was named game MVP, becoming the first person of color to quarterback a team to a Super Bowl victory. In January 1984, he again led the Raiders, who had by then moved to Los Angeles, to victory in Super Bowl XVIII with a resounding 38-9 win over Washington.
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Source:: The Mercury News – Entertainment
