Jim Plunkett, a Heisman Trophy-winning Stanford University quarterback who went on to lead the Oakland Raiders to 1980 and 1983 Super Bowl victories, was inducted into the California Hall of Fame on Dec. 5 by Gov. Jerry Brown.
An Atherton resident, Mr. Plunkett turned 70 the night of the event.
Born in Santa Clara, he grew up in San Jose, where his father ran a news stand and young Plunkett worked, starting in elementary school, at jobs that included gas station cleanup, delivering newspapers, bagging groceries, and working in orchards.
His football and other skills helped him get into Stanford University, where in 1970 he led the team to a Rose Bowl victory and won a Heisman Trophy as college football’s most outstanding player.
During his National Football League career, from 1971 to 1986, he played for the New England Patriots and the San Francisco 49ers before joining the Oakland Raiders in 1978.
Mr. Plunkett was one of nine people awarded the “Spirit of California” medal and inducted into the Hall of Fame at the California Museum in Sacramento on Dec. 5.
The others are: entertainer Lucille Ball, bioscientist Susan Desmond-Hellmann, artist and activist Mabel McKay, atmospheric chemist Mario J. Molina, poet Gary Snyder, filmmaker Steven Spielberg, musician Michael Tilson Thomas, and vintner Warren Winiarski.
“These are people with beautiful minds and I think we should enjoy them and take some inspiration,” said Gov. Brown. “This is California in its very diverse expression.”
