Lamar University Athletics

Associated with the Lamar University system for more than 50 years, Otho Plummer was the school’s first outstanding basketball player.
Plummer played on the 1924-25 and 1925-26 teams when the institution was knows as South Park Junior College. In the 1924-25 season, he set the school scoring record with a total of 18 points in one game – a fantastic total for that era of low-scoring games.
As a first baseman, Plummer was the star of the 1926 baseball team. He led the club in hitting, including a four-hit game against Southwestern Louisiana.
When the institution separated from the South Park system and sought its own identity in 1932, Plummer won the name contest for his suggestion of Lamar. Since 1946, Plummer’s association with the institution has been continuous as a member of the governing body. He was first named to the Board of Trustees during the junior college years, and was on the original board of Lamar Tech when the school became a senior college. Plummer, one of Beaumont’s leading civic leaders, was secretary of the Board of Regents for seven years and vice president from 1958 to 1970. Since 1970, Plummer has been chairman of the Board of Regents. His service to Lamar University has been recognized by four different Texas governors, all of whom have given him a reappointment.
One of Beaumont’s outstanding civic leaders, Plummer has provided vital leadership in the Neches River Festival since its inception and served as mayor of Beaumont from 1947 to 1954.