Elwood Plummer
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 careerPlummer 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 careerPlummer 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 lifePlummer 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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