Career
He was an American Football League All-Star in 1964 and 1966 and a 1st Team All-Pro All-American Federation of Labor-Congress in 1966. He was involved in what is dubbed as "The Greatest Game Ever Played", the 1958 NFL Championship Game. He had been drafted by the Cleveland Browns two years prior to joining the Colts, but his admission into the Army months after joining delayed his playing career and he joined the Colts after his service instead.
In his later playing years, he was most notable for his massive size.
While the typical lineman in the 1960s weighed in at around 250-260 lb, Plunkett was almost 100 lb (45 kg) heavier. He played college football at Maryland State College (now the University of Maryland Eastern Shore).
According to Joe Namath, it was Plunkett who coined the star New York Jets quarterback"s nickname Broadway Joe, following Namath"s appearance on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine. Plunkett died of cancer at the age of 56, at Sinai Hospital in Baltimore.