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.
Most of your favorite celebrities either studied acting in college or went straight from high school into a life of the arts. But, hey, not all of them. Some celebrities actually have advanced college degrees.
Turns out Mayim Bialik is just as much of a genius as the one she plays on The Big Bang Theory. She earned her Ph.D. in neuroscience from the University of California, Los Angeles, focusing on obsessive compulsive disorder among people with Prader-Willi syndrome, a rare condition in which the hypothalamus malfunctions.
Little known fact: Natalie Portman skipped the premiere of Star Wars: Phantom Menace because she was studying for her high school exams. She had two papers published in scientific journals while she was still in high school, and graduated from Harvard University with a B.A. in Psychology.
Before he was looking for answers on X-Files, David Duchovny was just trying to find the answers for English finals at Princeton University90. David graduated from Princeton in 1982 with a B.A in English. He continued to feed his love of literature by receiving a master’s degree in English Literature at Yale University. David was an excellent writer and poet. His work consistently received praise by his fellow classmates and teachers at Yale. His writing was even nominated for a college prize by the Academy of American Poets.
Sigourney Weaver graduated from Stanford University in 1971 with a bachelor’s in Literature. It was while studying at Stanford that Sigourney realized her true passion in life was to become an actress. Shortly after graduation, she attended Yale for their well-known drama program. She would go on to receive a master’s in Acting from Yale University and become friends with fellow famous actress Meryl Streep.
Meryl Streep is considered one of the most successful actresses of all time. She is also one of the most highly educated. Before collecting an array of Oscars, Meryl collected diplomas. She graduated from Vassar College with a B.A. in 1971. Meryl has a habit of being unsatisfied with impressive accomplishments as her acting career has shown, so she attended Yale University and earned a master’s degree in Acting.