Sport: Saturday's Hero

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Plunkett figures to have the pro scouts hanging all over him throughout the winter. "He could play for the pros right now," says the Dallas Cowboys' Gil Brandt. "He'll undoubtedly be the first guy selected in the draft." Far from resenting the publicity heaped on Plunkett, his teammates regard him as their personal property. "If anyone ever got by me and hurt Jim," says Offensive Tackle Bill Meyers, "I think I'd turn in my uniform." After cinching the Rose Bowl bid, Stanford lost its final two games —a letdown that the players regretted because "it might hurt Jim in the Heisman voting." It did not. Historically, Heisman winners have not fared well in the pros. But that is one trend Plunkett aims to correct: "I would like to start playing immediately," he says. "I don't want to come up to the pros and sit on the bench. You can't win there."