Post by TheShadow on May 24, 2008 15:26:22 GMT -5
chronicle.augusta.com/
By Chris Gay| Staff Writer
You couldn't miss that shiny silver piece of jewelry on Jim Plunkett's left hand.
Plunkett, the keynote speaker Friday at the annual Greater Augusta Sports Council's Awards Gala, wore his ring from Super Bowl XV, the first of two Super Bowl championships for the former Oakland Raiders quarterback.
"He was a great inspiration," former teammate Ray Guy said, "and a great leader."
Plunkett's NFL career makes good fodder for movies. The 1970 Heisman Trophy winner at Stanford, Plunkett was the first pick by New England in the following year's NFL Draft. After struggling early in his career, Plunkett got cut by the Patriots and San Francisco 49ers before hooking up with Oakland in 1978.
Two years later, he helped the Raiders make history.
After starting the season as a backup, Plunkett came off the bench to lead Oakland to a late-season surge in which the Raiders won four consecutive postseason games.
Plunkett threw three touchdown passes to help Oakland become the first wild-card team to win the Super Bowl.
In 1983, Plunkett again started the season as a backup, but he returned to the starting lineup and eventually led the Raiders to victory in Super Bowl XVIII.
"I finally proved to myself and everybody else who backed me that I could still play quarterback in the NFL," he said. "It was a struggle, but I got there.
The 60-year-old Plunkett, who's in the beer business, still works for the Raiders. He co-hosts preseason games and also works on a weekly highlight show.