Initially serving as a backup for the Raiders, Plunkett became the starting quarterback during the 1980 season and led them to win Super Bowl XV, where he was named MVP.

[4] In 1983, Plunkett again ascended from backup to starter to quarterback the relocated Los Angeles Raiders to victory in Super Bowl XVIII.

He and Eli Manning are the only eligible quarterbacks with two Super Bowl wins as a starter not to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

[12][13] Plunkett showed his talent for tossing the football by winning a throwing contest at the age of 14 with a heave of over 60 yards.

Upon entering Stanford University, Plunkett endured a rough freshman campaign after being weakened by a thyroid operation.

[14] His performance originally caused head coach John Ralston to switch him to defensive end, but Plunkett was adamant in remaining at quarterback, throwing 500 to 1,000 passes every day to polish his arm.

Plunkett's arrival ushered in an era of wide-open passing, pro-style offenses in the Pac-8, a trend that has continued to the present.

This display of offensive firepower led Washington State coach Jim Sweeney to call Plunkett "The best college football player I've ever seen."

Plunkett beat Notre Dame's Joe Theismann and Archie Manning of Ole Miss to win the award.

UCLA coach Tommy Prothro had called Plunkett the "best pro quarterback prospect I've ever seen", echoing Sweeney's words from the year prior.

New England also influenced the AFC East championship race, as Plunkett's 88-yard fourth-quarter touchdown pass to former Stanford teammate Randy Vataha on the final day of the season dropped the Baltimore Colts to a 10–4–0 record and into second place in the division behind the 10–3–1 Miami Dolphins.

However, five weeks into the 1980 season, his career took a major turn when starting QB Dan Pastorini fractured his leg in a game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

[16] The Raiders, however, believing that Marc Wilson did not have the experience they wanted, called on Plunkett to start for the remainder of the year.

In addition to this, he became the second of four players to win the Heisman Trophy and Super Bowl MVP, alongside Roger Staubach, Marcus Allen, and Desmond Howard.

After being benched early in the 1983 season, Plunkett again assumed starting duties, this time after an injury to Marc Wilson.

The more experienced Plunkett was named the starter for the playoffs, but the Raiders lost to the Seattle Seahawks in the wild card game.

[19] The arguments against his induction center on Plunkett having only four winning seasons, overall career statistics and no Pro Bowl or All-Pro selections.