ASU's 50 Best Professional Athletes No. 7: Football's Jake Plummer

When discussing former Arizona State Sun Devils quarterbacks, no list is complete without putting Jake Plummer at the top.

Plummer followed up an outstanding collegiate career with an equally impressive professional one, earning him a spot inside the top 10 of our 50 best pro athletes to come out of Arizona State.

Before he was "Jake the Snake", Plummer was busy carving up defenses at Capital High School in Boise. His exploits caught the attention of Bruce Snyder, who promptly offered him a scholarship to join the Sun Devils.

Plummer did just that, eventually leading a maroon and gold team that came four points away from winning a national championship in his senior and final season in Tempe.

After being named the Pac-10 Player of the Year in 1996, the Arizona State standout was selected in the second round by the hometown Arizona Cardinals. He then saw plenty of success as a professional on the same field he played at in college, being a full-time starter under center for three of his six seasons in Tempe.

Plummer then finished his career in the NFL with four seasons as the quarterback of the Denver Broncos. The Boise product threw 18 touchdowns and just seven interceptions in his penultimate professional season, earning him Pro Bowl honors.

The Broncos traded Plummer to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers following the 2006 season, but the signal caller decided to retire from the game of football in March of 2007. He finished his career in the League with 161 touchdowns and more than 29,000 passing yards.

Check back tomorrow to see who will be No. 6 on our list of the 50 best professional athletes to come out of Arizona State.