STATE LEGISLATORS AND STANFORD UNIVERSITY NOMINATE NFL LEGEND JIM PLUNKETT FOR THE 2025 PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME

SAN JOSE – This month, legendary Raiders quarterback and two-time Super Bowl winner Jim Plunkett received a significant boost behind his nomination into the 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame. Plunkett, who is Latino and Native American, is now 76 years old and remains the only starting quarterback with two Super Bowl rings who has not yet been inducted. In recent years, Plunkett has suffered serious health issues.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame Seniors Selection Committee has Plunkett’s name in contention after narrowing a potential candidate list of 182 down to 60. This week, the committee will likely narrow that list down to 25 and the recent support can make the difference on behalf of the San Jose native, who now resides in Atherton. Voting on final nominees is expected to take place in January and February 2025 before Super Bowl LIX.

Jim Plunkett has one of the most prolific records in the NFL and has an inspirational life story of overcoming all the odds. He was born on December 5, 1947, in San Jose, California to Mexican American parents, William Gutierrez Plunkett and Carmen Blea. His mother was also of Cherokee Native American ancestry. Both of his parents suffered from blindness and his family faced much economic hardship while growing up. His father died at age 56 after his sophomore year in college. Jim Plunkett graduated from James Lick High School in East San Jose in 1967, where he was a star athlete competing in basketball, baseball, track and wrestling, winning a California High School Wrestling Championship Title.

Jim Plunkett graduated from Stanford University in 1971, and led the Stanford Football Team as quarterback to a Rose Bowl victory defeating No.1 Ohio State 27-17. He was also 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, Jim Plunkett was the first overall pick in the NFL Draft by the New England Patriots (Boston Patriots then), becoming the first Latino/Native American player to ever be drafted with the first overall pick. Plunkett later played for the San Francisco 49ers from 1976 to 1978.

He joined the Oakland Raiders in 1978, where he and legendary Coach Tom Flores would lead the Raiders to four playoff victories, including the first-ever victory by a wild card team in Super Bowl XV on January 25, 1981, over the Philadelphia Eagles. Plunkett was named game MVP and became the first person of color to quarterback a team to a Super Bowl victory. He became the second of only four players to win the Heisman Trophy and Super Bowl MVP. During the 1983 season, Jim Plunkett led the then Los Angeles Raiders to Super Bowl XVIII, where they defeated Washington on January 22, 1984. He became the only NFL quarterback to win two Super Bowls with the same franchise in different cities, in Oakland and in Los Angeles.

Jim Plunkett retired in 1987, after a serious shoulder injury. During his 17-year NFL career, he completed 25,882 yards and 164 touchdowns, and he rushed for 1,337 yards and 14 touchdowns. Jim Plunkett was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1990, the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame in 1990, the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame in 1992, and the California Sports Hall of Fame in 2007. He has previously been nominated to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame without success.

“I grew up in a home just a short distance from James Lick High School in East San Jose. I have nearly a dozen family members who went to James Lick including some who were there when Jim Plunkett was a star athlete.  I’m proud to have grown up in the same Eastside neighborhoods where Jim Plunkett was raised.  Representing the Eastside now as a state senator makes me even more aware of the injustice of Jim Plunkett’s delayed entry into the Football Hall of Fame. Both his parents were blind and he overcame all odds. I was in attendance at the 1971 Rose Bowl and watched him play,” said California State Senator Dave Cortese (D-Silicon Valley).

“Jim Plunkett is a Latino and Native American trailblazer in professional sports, paving the way for those coming behind him. It’s time for the Pro Football Hall of Fame to give him the long-overdue honor he deserves,” said Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia (D-Coachella).

“San Jose’s Jim Plunkett is a source of pride for all Californians and his resilience and life story continues to be an inspiration about overcoming adversity. Let’s honor one of our greatest NFL quarterbacks in history when his health still permits him to appreciate this ultimate recognition,” added Monterey County Supervisor Luis Alejo of Salinas, who also submitted a nomination letter supporting Plunkett and has organized support for Plunkett.

“Jim Plunkett not only left an impactful legacy at Stanford University as our only Heisman Trophy winner, but his legacy as an NFL player transcends the game. Plunkett continues to inspire both the Latino/Mexican American and Native American communities, and his impressive contributions to the game of football warrant him being recognized as one of the great NFL players of all time,” states Bernard Muir, Stanford University Director of Athletics in his letter.

 

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