Adolph Plummer (January 3, 1938 – November 30, 2015)
Albuquerque Journal, November 30, 2015. was an American

track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

athlete. He is best known for breaking the world record in the 440 yard dash in 1963, the last runner to hold the 400 m record with a time recorded for the longer 440 yards.

Track career

During his time running at the University of New Mexico (UNM, 1959–1963), Plummer was a member of an outstanding Lobos track team. In 1961, Plummer became the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

champion in the 440 yards event. He was a three-time All-American and won four titles in the 440 yards event and three at 220 yards in the Skyline Conference and

Western Athletic Conference The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) is an NCAA Division I conference. The WAC covers a broad expanse of the Western United States with member institutions located in Arizona, California, Texas, Utah and Washington (state), Washington. Due to ...

(WAC).Lobo Great Adolph Plummer Passes Away
University of New Mexico Athletics Official Site, December 1, 2015. On May 25, 1963, running in his last race for UNM at the WAC Championships in Tempe, Arizona, Plummer shocked future Olympic champion Ulis Williams on his home track with a 44.9 second world record in the 440 yards (Williams also broke the old world record by 0.1 second). Plummer shattered the old mark set by Glenn Davis five years previously by the huge margin of 8 tenths of a second. Plummer's only memory of the race was hearing the starter say "set" before the race began. Plummer's time also tied the existing world record in the shorter 400 meters (440 yards is 402.34 meters). This was the first ever 440 run under 45 seconds. In 1964, Plummer attempted to qualify for the Olympic Games but trailed in his heat due to the flare-up of an arthritic knee, a condition that was to eventually end his athletics career. In 1965, Plummer returned to the track specializing in the 220 yard/200 meter event. That year he became USA national champion at 220 yards and was ranked number one in the world at that distance.( See below).

Accolades and awards

In 1976, Plummer was inducted into the New Mexico Sports Hall of Fame. In 2012, Plummer was presented with a Living Legend Awards by the UNM Black Alumni Chapter. Plummer has also been inducted into the UNM Alumni Lettermen's Association Hall of Honor.

Personal life

Plummer was a native of

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and served in the

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before attending UNM. After attending UNM, Plummer moved to

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and worked as an educator in the

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public schools system. In the mid-1970s (1974–76 in particular), Plummer's tenure as an educator at Cole Junior H.S., in Denver, coincided with the earliest days of Court-Ordered Busing for Integration. His involvement was instrumental in fostering tolerance – resulting in a successful, peaceful learning environment for Denver's suburban and urban students suddenly exposed to new cohorts and lifestyles and attitudes. He also served for a time as an associate dean in the Athletic Department at UNM in charge of education. Plummer died on November 30, 2015, in Denver at the age of 77.

Track and field rankings

Plummer was ranked among the best in the US and the world in the 440 yard/400 meter sprint event in the period 1961–64 and the 220 yard/200 meter sprint event in the period 1963–1966, according to the votes of the experts of '' Track and Field News''.

USA Championships

Plummer competed in the 220 yard/220 meter and 440 yard/400 meter events in the USA National Track and Field Championships between 1961 and 1966.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Plummer, Adolph 1938 births 2015 deaths American male sprinters World record setters in athletics (track and field) New Mexico Lobos men's track and field athletes United States Air Force airmen Track and field athletes from Albuquerque, New Mexico NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners 20th-century American sportsmen