Jim Plunkett is another one of those quarterbacks who developed into a great quarterback with age. While many teams doubted his ability, it took one west coast franchise to turn him into a 2x Super Bowl winner. From an early age, Plunkett's odds were stacked against him from living a prosperous life. Growing up poor in New Mexico, Plunkett was forced to work as a grocery bagger, gas station janitor, newspaper delivery boy while still in elementary school. Fortunately, his skill on the football field led him to Standford University where he would become a Stanford Cardinal legend. After struggling with a thyroid issue and being moved around the depth chart, Plunkett led the Cardinal to their first Rose Bowl appearance since 1952. After beating the Ohio Buckeyes 27-17, Plunkett was named the 1970 Heisman Trophy winner.
The following year, Jim Plunkett was drafted 1st overall in the 1971 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots, becoming the first athlete of Hispanic heritage to be picked first overall in the NFL Draft. After some initial success and a gradual decline in play, Plunkett was traded to the San Francisco 49ers in 1976. After not being able to adjust to his new scenery, Plunkett made his way to the Oakland Raiders in 1978 where he would play his final eight seasons and become a Raider legend. In 1980, Plunkett won Comeback Player of the Year and guided the Raiders to victory in Super Bowl XV and win Super Bowl MVP. Three years later, Plunkett would lead the Raiders to another Super Bowl win in Super Bowl XVIII. Plunkett is the only quarterback to win two championships with the same franchise in two different cities (Oakland and Los Angeles) and is the only quarterback with two Super Bowl titles not to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Plunkett's eligibility for the Hall of Fame is a discussion that needs to be had, the sooner the better.
When we think of inventors, the image that comes to mind is usually that of a frazzled scientist toiling away in a lab, not celebrities pulled from the pages of Us Weekly. However, a number of well-known public figures hold patents for various innovations. Some are related to the work that made them famous, while others are offshoots of hobbies or just a single great idea.
Part of guitar wizard Eddie Van Halen's signature sound was his two-handed tapping technique, but letting all ten fingers fly while simultaneously holding up the guitar's neck could get a bit tricky. Van Halen came up with a novel way to get around this problem, though; he invented a support (top) that could flip out of the back of his axe's body to raise and stabilize the fretboard so he could tap out searing songs like "Eruption." While Van Halen was obviously interested in improving his guitar work, the patent application he filed in 1985 notes that the device would work with any stringed instrument. Want to tap out a scorching mandolin solo? Find someone selling Eddie's device.
It’s probably not surprising that James Cameron—who designed a submersible to take him to the deepest known part of the ocean—will often invent technology to make his films if what he needs doesn’t exist. He holds a number of patents, including US Patent No. 4996938, “apparatus for propelling a user in an underwater environment,” that he and his brother, Michael, created to film The Abyss and patented in 1989. The device is basically an underwater dolly equipped with propellers that makes it easy for a camera operator to maneuver in the water—and allowed Cameron to capture the shots he wanted for the 1989 film, part of which was filmed in an abandoned nuclear reactor.
In 1987 Jamie Lee Curtis designed and patented a disposable diaper that included a waterproof pocket that held baby wipes. She hasn't profited from her idea yet, though, since she refuses to license the patent until diaper companies make biodegradable products.
You know him as a rock legend, but Neil Young also loves trains—so much that he owns a stake in a model train manufacturing company and has an extensive collection. He also holds seven patents related to model trains, including Patent No. US5441223, "Model train controller using electromagnetic field between track and ground."