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.
They may be beautiful, rich and famous, but celebrities are human too, and that means they're just as prone to getting sick as the rest of us. And just like us, some celebs even live with chronic conditions that can take a toll on their day-to-day lives. But eczema – also referred to as dermatitis – is a common dry skin condition. Symptoms include dry, itchy, red and scaly skin. In more extreme cases, the skin can crust and bleed. According to the National Eczema Association, 1 in 10 individuals will develop eczema in their lifetime. And given these statistics, it’s hardly a surprise there are a few celebrities out there who have eczema too.
The Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, 37, suffered from eczema in her teens. Kate was bullied heavily whilst attending Downe House girls’ boarding school, according to the Duchess’s friend Jessica Hay. According Hay, Middleton’s bullies made fun of her eczema. ‘It didn’t help that she was so tall and self-conscious about her eczema,’ Hay told CelebNow. Studies have shown children with moderate and extreme atopic dermatitis are more likely to suffer from conditions like anxiety and low self-esteem, which has a knock-on effect on their school work and ability to make friends.
Although Brad Pitt, 55, has not spoken about the issue himself, his co-star Cate Blanchett disclosed that Pitt was suffering from eczema during filming of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. In an interview with Scotland’s Daily Record, the actress said, ‘We went through three weeks of make-up tests and he was covered in eczema from it all.’ Blanchett sweetly loaned Pitt her skin cream to deal with the dermatitis, that had developed due to the use of prosthetic makeup worn during filming. Prosthetic make-up isn’t the hugest concern for us non-Hollywood folk, nevertheless, what is a concern, is how makeup can trigger eczema flair up. Unless makeup brushes are constantly washed (let’s be real, they’re not), they become a breeding ground for bacteria. This can lead to clogged pores and irritated sensitive skin.
Adele, 31, stated that her eczema flared up when she became a new mom. During a press conference in 2013 after her Golden Globe win for Best Original Song for the Bond film Sykfall, the singer said: ‘I am exhausted. That’s how [motherhood] changed me. I have eczema from boiling bottles.’ Research carried out by the BMJ (formerly known as the British Medical Journal) has revealed that contact dermatitis has the potential to have ‘detrimental’ impact and in the worst case scenarios can even threaten some sufferers ability to work.