College football: Ranking every Heisman Trophy winner

21. Ranking every Heisman Trophy Winner: Jim Plunkett, Stanford Cardinal football

Jim Plunkett nearly never got to play football at Stanford, as he was told that he had a cancerous tumor that would end his playing career. However, the tumor was proven to be benign and he was able to continue on a football journey that would take him from being an unproven quarterback the coach tried to move to defensive end, to a Heisman Trophy winner.

After a few seasons as a backup, Plunkett got the starting job in 1969 and proceeded to set the Pac-8 record for passing yards in a single season. The following year, his Heisman Trophy-winning season, Plunket broke his record and led the then Stanford Indians to a surprising Pac-8 victory and a spot in the Rose Bowl.

Meeting them in the Rose Bowl would be No. 1 Ohio State, a team the Indians would shock by the score of 27-17. To win the Heisman, Plunkett would have to best an incredible tandem in Ole Miss’s Archie Manning and Joe Theismann of Notre Dame, and he did just that, actually winning the coveted award by a very large margin.

With his win, Plunkett became the first Latino to win the Heisman Trophy, and many felt he was the best pro quarterback prospect they had ever seen. He ended up going No. 1 overall to the New England Patriots in the NFL Draft but really made his mark at the next level with the Oakland Raiders, a team he piloted to two Super Bowl championships. Plunkett remains the most decorated football player in Stanford history.