Top 50 NFL Quarterbacks: #42

Jim Plunkett

Of the 11 quarterbacks that have won multiple Super Bowls, only Jim Plunkett remains out of the Hall of Fame. Of those same quarterbacks, he is ranked 10th on my list, ahead of only Bob Griese. That doesn't mean that he doesn't deserve to be mentioned among the top QB's of all time, but you must recognize that he doesn't measure up to most of the others who have reached the pinnacle multiple times.

Jim Plunkett was the #1 overall pick in the NFL Draft in 1971, being taken by the Boston Patriots. He remains the only player of Hispanic heritage to be the top overall pick in the draft. (His paternal grandfather was Irish, but his 7 other great-grandparents were from Mexico.) He started in New England (they changed their name right after the draft) for 4 1/2 years, but threw more interceptions than touchdowns during all but his rookie season.

Plunkett was traded to San Francisco before the 1976 season, but during his two seasons starting for the 49ers, he again threw more picks than scores, making 6 out of 7 seasons with that dubious distinction. He was let go after the 1977 season, which is when he made his way to Oakland, where he sat on the bench for two seasons, throwing only 15 passes over two full seasons.

Early in the 1980 season, his tenth in the league, his luck finally changed when Dan Pastorini broke his leg and Plunkett was inserted into the starting lineup. For the first time since his rookie season, Plunkett threw more touchdowns than picks (18 to 16), and the Raiders won 9 of his 11 starts. After a home win in the wild card round, Plunkett led the Raiders to three straight upsets, including a win over the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XV in which Plunkett threw for 261 yards and 3 touchdowns without a single interception. He was deservedly named the MVP of the game.

For the next couple years he was back to playing backup, now to Marc Wilson, but after an injury ended Wilson's 1983 season early, Plunkett was again thrust into the starting role. For just the third time in his career, he had more touchdowns than picks (20 to 18), and the Los Angeles Raiders won 12 games, getting them a first-round bye.

Plunkett was not nearly as good in the playoffs as he had been three years earlier, throwing for only 618 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions over three games, but the team was better and didn't need him to do as much. They were again picked to lose in the Super Bowl, but he once again played a mistake-free, although unspectacular, game, and the Raiders upset Joe Theismann and the Washington Redskins 38-9.

He spent the final 3 seasons of his career as a backup again. Had it not been for those two seasons with the Raiders in which the starting quarterbacks were injured, he probably would have been remembered as one of the biggest busts in history, but those two seasons, and especially his performance in his first Super Bowl, did enough to make his career something that is worth celebrating.