Wilson Plunkett (1980) - Southern Miss M-Club Hall of Fame

Wilson Plunkett

Induction:
1980

Wilson Plunkett was without a doubt one of the truly great two sport athletes in Southern Miss history. As a powerful fullback for the Golden Eagles in the early 1970s he proved to be one of the strongest blockers and runners the school had ever seen at that position and on the baseball diamond tales of some of his mammoth home runs are still told today.
   Plunkett came to Southern Miss from Aiken (South Carolina) High School where he was one of the best running backs in the state his senior year and was the state's Class 4-A scoring leader that year.
   He moved to the varsity for the 1971 season and served as a backup at fullback and saw action on the specialty teams. He carried the ball 37 times that year for 117 yards and a touchdown, but also proved to be one of the team's best receivers, catching 18 passes for 186 yards to rank fifth on the team. That 1971 team finished the year 6-5 by winning its
   Plunkett worked hard during the off season to improve his blocking and it paid off as he moved into the starting lineup in 1972. Leading the way for tailbacks Doyle Orange and Terrance Wells, Plunkett still had plenty of opportunities to carry the football. He would carry 59 times in 1972 for 293 yards and a touchdown. But more importantly the 5-11, 196-pound runner averaged 5.0 yards per carry and finished third on the team in receiving with 23 catches for 188 yards and a touchdown.
   In 1973 Plunkett would continue to improve and he would post his best season ever. He would carry the ball 121 times for 476 yards (both career highs) and four touchdowns, while catching 14 passes for 95 yards.
   His would finish his football career with 217 carries for 886 yards and six touchdowns, and 55 pass receptions for 469 yards and a touchdown.
   Plunkett's three seasons with the Golden Eagles baseball team were three of the best years back to back anyone has ever produced.
   As a sophomore in 1972 he would lead the team in hitting with a .337 average, while hitting three home runs and driving in 11 runs in just 24 games. He would again be the team's leading hitter among the regulars in 1973 with a .405 batting average, three home runs and 20 RBIs.
   But he saved his best for the 1974 season and it was agruably the best single season ever produced by a Golden Eagle.
   In just 28 games that year Plunkett would hit a school record .453 with 13 home runs and 37 RBIs and a slugging percentage of an incredible 1.000. He scored 33 runs, had 39 hits and was walked 33 times. All of those marks he reached that year were then school records.
   Following his career at Southern Miss Plunkett would go on to spend several seasons playing minor league baseball, but it was his three seasons at Southern Miss on the gridiron and the diamond that made him a Golden Eagle legend.