James William "Jim" Plunkett (born December 5, 1947) is a former American football quarterback who played college football for Stanford University, where he won the Heisman Trophy, and professionally for three National Football League teams: the New England Patriots, San Francisco 49ers and Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders. He led the Raiders to two Super Bowl victories (XV and XVIII). He is the only eligible quarterback to start (and win) two Super Bowls without being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

Plunkett was born to Mexican American parents with an Irish-German great-grandfather on his paternal side. Plunkett's father was a news vendor afflicted with progressive blindness, who had to support his blind wife along with their three children. In an effort to aid the family's financial situation, Plunkett worked a series of odd jobs while growing up, including serving as a gas station attendant, grocery store clerk and as a laborer on construction sites. In an acknowledgement of his Mexican roots, Plunkett chose the fictional character of Zorro as his hero.^{[citation needed]}

Thomas R. "Tom" Flores (born March 21, 1937) is a retired American football quarterback and coach. Flores and Mike Ditka are the only two people in the National Football League history to win a Championship (1 AFL Championship, Super Bowl XI as an Assistant Coach and Super Bowls XV and XVIII) as a player, as an assistant coach, and as a head coach. Flores was also the first Hispanic starting quarterback and the first minority head coach in professional football history to win a Super Bowl. Flores is currently a radio announcer.

Flores played quarterback for two seasons at Fresno City College beginning in 1955. He was active off the field as well serving on the Student Council as well as President of the Associated Men's Students. He received an academic scholarship to study at the College (now University) of the Pacific. Flores graduated from the University of the Pacific in 1958, but was unable to find a job in professional football. He was cut by the Calgary Stampeders of the CFL in 1958, and then by the Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL) in 1959. In 1960 Flores finally landed a position as a quarterback with the American Football League's Oakland Raiders, who began play in 1960 as a charter member of the league. He was named the Raiders' starting quarterback early in the 1960 season, becoming the first Hispanic starting quarterback in professional football history.