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Elwood Plummer

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Elwood Plummer
Biographical details
Born(1944-10-22)October 22, 1944
San Antonio, Texas, U.S.
DiedOctober 24, 2023(2023-10-24) (aged 79)
San Antonio, Texas, U.S.
Alma materJackson State
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1967–1969St. Philip's
1969–1972Jackson State (assistant)
1972–1973Wiley
1973–1979Prairie View A&M
1979–1988Huston–Tillotson
1990–2002Prairie View A&M
2010–2013Huston–Tillotson
Administrative career (AD unless noted)
1988–1990Huston–Tillotson (assistant AD)
Head coaching record
Overall153–377 (.305)
Tournaments0–1 (NCAA)

Elwood O. Plummer (October 22, 1944 – October 24, 2023) was an American basketball coach and player. He served as the head coach of the Prairie View A&M Panthers from 1973 to 1979, and 1990 to 2002.

Playing career

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Plummer was born in San Antonio, Texas, and attended Wheatley High School.[1][2] He played on the school's basketball team and averaged 28 points per game as a senior.[2] Plummer attended San Antonio College for two years and became one of the most prolific scorers in the junior college ranks.[2] During his sophomore season, he led the Texas Junior College Athletic Association in scoring with 29.8 points per game and was named the league's most valuable player.[2] Plummer transferred to play for the Jackson State Tigers and became one of the top guards in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).[2] He graduated from Jackson State University in 1966.[2]

Coaching career

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Plummer began his coaching career at St. Philip's College in San Antonio for two seasons, where he accumulated a 41–19 record.[2] He returned to the Jackson State Tigers team in 1969 as an assistant coach to Paul Covington.[2] Plummer was appointed as head coach of the Wiley College basketball team in 1972, where he amassed a 20–8 record and won the state tournament in his only season.[2]

Plummer was named head coach of the Prairie View A&M Panthers on August 25, 1973, where he became the youngest head coach in the SWAC at the age of 28.[2] He directed winning teams from 1973 to 1979.[3] Plummer served as the head coach of the Huston–Tillotson University men's basketball team from 1979 to 1988.[4] He was the associate athletic director of Huston–Tillotson from 1988 to 1990.[5]

Plummer returned to Prairie View A&M in April 1990 but the university discontinued its basketball program one month later.[3] It was reinstated in July 1990 but with few remaining players and no scholarship program.[3] Prairie View A&M's limited recruitment abilities led to Plummer targeting players who had a high academic average that would qualify for an academic scholarship or those who were indigent and qualified for financial aid.[6] The Panthers had an 0–28 record during the 1991–92 season that established an NCAA Division I record for most losses in a season.[7] Plummer experienced his greatest success with the Panthers during the 1997–98 season as the team won its first SWAC tournament title and appeared in the 1998 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.[8]

On March 10, 2002, Plummer and his coaching staff were dismissed by Prairie View A&M.[8] His total record with the Panthers was 153–377.[8] Plummer returned to Huston–Tillotson in 2010 as head coach until his departure in 2013.[5][9]

Plummer was inducted into the Texas Black Sports Hall of Fame in 2006.[10]

Personal life

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Plummer married twice and had a daughter.[1]

Plummer died on October 24, 2023, at the age of 79 in San Antonio, Texas.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Elwood O. Plummer". Tribute Archive. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Prairie View names Plummer cage coach". The Pittsburgh Courier. August 25, 1973. p. 9. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c "With No Scholarships, With No Victories". News & Record. January 25, 2015. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
  4. ^ "Elwood Plummer". College Hoopedia. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
  5. ^ a b "Elwood Plummer Returns as Men's Basketball Coach" (PDF). Ram Magazine. 2011. p. 29. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
  6. ^ Bradley, John Ed (August 28, 1995). "Once Upon a Time..." Sports Illustrated. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
  7. ^ Bembry, Jerry (December 1, 1992). "Prairie View 0-for-everything except hope for the future". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
  8. ^ a b c "Prairie View dismisses head basketball coach Elwood Plummer and his staff". mrt. May 19, 2016. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
  9. ^ "2013-2014 RRAC Men's Basketball Preview". Victory Sports Network. October 15, 2013. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
  10. ^ Smith, Corbett (March 20, 2013). "2013 Dallas-area boys basketball coach, newcomer of the year: Madison's Mobley notches 2nd title; Plano West's Hogg shined as a sophomore". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
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