1957 - 1976
426 wins — 168 losses
A Giant of a Man
Leon Plummer grew up in Burlington Junction, Missouri. He was a graduate of Northwest Missouri State University and coached boys’ basketball in Clearmont, Missouri, before coming to Riverton, Iowa. He began coaching at Farragut in 1957, his second year out of college. He assisted the football coach and coached younger boys in summer baseball. Plummer made his mark coaching the girls’ sports, building a dynasty that dominated southwest Iowa softball, track, and especially basketball for nearly two decades.
Plummer took the girls’ basketball team to the state tournament 10 times during his 19 years as coach. They won the state championship in 1971. Plummer resigned from coaching girls' track and softball after the 1974 season. He retired from coaching the girls’ basketball team after the 1976 state tournament. He was going to be the high school principal and wanted to spend more time with his children.
Leon Plummer married Sally Rolens on May 5, 1956, and to this union five children were born: Laura, Gerald, Julie, Pixie, and Thomas. He died two months after he announced his retirement from coaching. Plummer died from a heart attack enroute from his home in Riverton, Iowa, to the Shenandoah, Iowa, hospital. He died at the age of 41 years.
