The Las Vegas Raiders have thirty former players in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. On Wednesday, one ex-quarterback took a positive step towards reaching Hall of Fame immortality. Jim Plunkett, the signal-caller with the then Oakland and Los Angeles Raiders from 1979 to 1986, is one of 31 players who survived the Hall of Fame’s reduction of “senior players” in consideration to get introduced with the Class of 2025.
Plunkett, alongside fellow quarterbacks Ken Anderson and Charlie Conerly, also survived the cutdown from 60 to 31 players. After starting his career as a unanimous bust with the New England Patriots and San Francisco 49ers, the Stanford product found new life with the Raiders organization, highlighted by two Super Bowl victories.
Las Vegas Raiders 2x Super Bowl Winning QB Jim Plunkett Eyes HOF
According to the Pro Football Hall of Fame and Twitter user Luis Alejo:
STANFORD UNIVERSITY NOMINATES JIM PLUNKETT FOR THE PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME! Stanford University has nominated one of its own, legendary Raiders Quarterback & Heisman Trophy winner
@JimPlunkett16 to finally be inducted into the 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame. @Stanford
Plunkett was the first and only Latino/Native American & Stanford player to win the Heisman Trophy.
The Senior category has been reduced to 31 for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025, presented by@visualedgeit. #PFHOF25
Full story: https://t.co/M8903JzBN9 pic.twitter.com/CeFSmTVYwX
— Pro Football Hall of Fame (@ProFootballHOF) October 23, 2024
A star with the Stanford Cardinal, Jim Plunkett became the first overall pick in the 1971 Draft, selected by the New England Patriots. A Heisman Trophy winner, Plunkett struggled mightily with the AFC club, tossing 85 interceptions in five seasons before being flipped to San Francisco for quarterback Tom Owens and a flurry of draft picks. However, after two seasons, the 49ers released Plunkett before he landed with the now-Las Vegas Raiders as a reserve.
Plunkett operated as the team’s backup from 1978 to 1979. Still, following an injury to starting gunslinger Dan Pastorini in 1980, head coach Tom Flores turned to Plunkett despite a brutal five-interception performance in his first attempt as the leadman. Plunkett would lead the Raiders to a 9-2 record and a Super Bowl victory, becoming the second player in football history to win an MVP and a Heisman Trophy Award. Plunkett threw seven touchdowns against three picks across four games. He won Super Bowl MVP honors. Plunkett again led the Raiders to a Super Bowl victory in 1983. NFL fans draw similarities between his Hall of Fame case and fellow two-time Super Bowl champion Eli Manning.
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