Adolph Plummer

Based on pure excitement, Adolph Plummer arguably stands head and shoulders above every track and field athlete Albuquerque has ever watched perform on the prep or college level.

The Brooklyn, N.Y., native never ran on a competitive basis until joining the Air Force after graduating from high school. Plummer quickly became an attraction in the early 1960s when UNM track meets would regularly draw thousands of spectators. He was an NCAA All-American three times, AAU All-American on six occasions and was the 1963 Western Athletic Conference Athlete of the Year.

The WAC honor followed one of the greatest single feats ever recorded in the 1960s – a 44.9 clocking in the 440-yard dash at the 1963 WAC Outdoor Championships in Tempe, Ariz. that ripped an unbelievable eight-tenths of a second off Glenn Davis’ previous world record.

Plummer eventually moved to Denver where he worked more than three decades as an administrator in the city’s high school system. He received several awards for his work with underprivileged children. Plummer also served a stint as UNM’s director of academic advisement before returning to Denver.