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Interview with Jim Plunkett: Raiders legend speaks about football career
He's a two-time Super Bowl champion, a Super Bowl 15 MVP, the NFL's comeback player of the year in 1980, and he's the only player ever to win a Heisman from Stanford. The one thing missing is an induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
ATHERTON, Calif. - Legendary Raiders quarterback Jim Plunkett has succeeded at every level in his football career.
He's a two-time Super Bowl champion, a Super Bowl 15 MVP, the NFL's comeback player of the year in 1980, and he's the only player ever to win a Heisman from Stanford. The one thing missing is an induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
"It would be nice, but I don't lose any sleep over it. I did what I did…I would like to be in the Hall of Fame, but whether I get in or not, it's out of my hands," said Plunkett.
Plunkett isn't quite sure what the qualifications are to get in.
"Maybe the first 10 years were a struggle, but it turned out very well for me with the Raiders. I have no regrets. My whole career could've been on the upside, but sometimes it just doesn't work out that way, but it ended very well," he said.
Plunkett is referencing his time with the New England Patriots, where he played for five years of his career.
He was traded to the San Francisco 49ers in 1976 but was released in the 1978 NFL preseason. He would later join the Oakland Raiders but served as a backup for the first time in his football career.
Once he got his shot in 1980, he led the Raiders to a Super Bowl win against the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl 15, and Super Bowl 18 in 1983. He credits the late great Al Davis for having an eye for his talent.
"He's watched me play against [the Raiders]…As a rookie, we beat them. We upset them. That's the only one out of six games we won that year, but he says since then he had always watched me and watched me progress," Plunkett said. "He said to me in his mind, 'Someday I would be a Raider', and eventually I was…Al was a great mind, he was a former coach as well. He was a great owner, he treated his players well."
Plunkett spoke about what makes Raider Nation different compared to the other fan bases in the NFL.
"They always feel like they're the underdog. Being in Oakland, being in that old baseball stadium where the A's played, we didn't have our own stadium. The Raiders have a great following, and it's never-ending. Win or lose, they're behind you pulling for you, and if you lose a game, they're back the next week," he shared.
Although Plunkett hasn't received the call or knock on the door that he's been in the Hall of Fame, he's had the chance to play with some of the best players to touch a pigskin.
"I loved Dave Dalby, he was our center, he was a great guy…Cliff Branch was great for me, Todd Christensen could catch everything as a tight end, Marcus was a great player, I mean really great," said Plunkett.
The game of football is a lot safer compared to the era Plunkett was involved in.
"I know teams supposedly…paid bounties to their defensive players if they knocked the quarterback out of the game. It's not quite like that anymore. But quarterbacks take a beating," Plunkett said.
Plunkett still supports his Raiders in Las Vegas and believes Antonio Pierce has them going in the right direction. While he awaits his opportunity to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, he'll continue to spend time with his wife Gerry Plunkett, his daughter Meghan, and his grandchildren.