Jim Plunkett
A quarterback whose career was a testament to resilience, rising from the discard pile to lead the Raiders to two improbable Super Bowl victories.
Born 1947 (age 79)·American football player·Birthday: December 5·Baby Boomers
Biography
Jim Plunkett's football narrative is the ultimate comeback story. A Heisman Trophy winner at Stanford, he entered the NFL with immense promise as the first overall pick, but his early years with the Patriots and 49ers were marred by injuries and losing teams. By 1978, he was considered a bust and was contemplating retirement. The Oakland Raiders, a franchise known for giving second chances, signed him as a backup. When starter Dan Pastorini broke his leg in 1980, Plunkett stepped in and authored a storybook season. He led a wild-card team all the way to a Super Bowl XV win, earning MVP honors. Three years later, now with the relocated Los Angeles Raiders, he did it again, winning Super Bowl XVIII. Plunkett's arm was strong, but his legacy is built on a tougher quality: an unshakeable perseverance that turned presumed failure into historic triumph.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Jim was born in 1947, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Jim Was Born
The biggest hits of 1947
#1 Movie
The Egg and I
Best Picture
Gentleman's Agreement
Jim's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1947Born
India gains independence; the Dead Sea Scrolls found
Gas: $0.23/galHome: $6,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Near You" — Francis CraigBest Picture: Gentleman's Agreement
1952Started school
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1960Became a teenager
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1963Could drive
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1965Could vote
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1968Turned 21
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1977Turned 30
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1987Turned 40
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1997Turned 50
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 60
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2017Turned 70
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2026Age 79 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won Super Bowl XV as starting quarterback for the Oakland Raiders, earning Super Bowl MVP honors.
- Led the Los Angeles Raiders to victory in Super Bowl XVIII three seasons later.
- Won the Heisman Trophy in 1970 while quarterbacking Stanford University.
- Was named the NFL Comeback Player of the Year in 1980.
Did You Know?
Plunkett is of Mexican-American descent and was born blind in one eye due to a childhood tumor.
He is one of only two Heisman Trophy winners to also be named Super Bowl MVP (the other is Roger Staubach).
His mother was born in New Mexico and was a key figure in his life, working multiple jobs to support him after his father went blind.
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