On July 11, 2018, Messiah Athletics announced the hiring of Rico Plummer to the newly created position of Assistant Director of Athletics for Compliance and Internal Operations. After spending two years at Messiah as a graduate assistant from 2014-16, Plummer spent the last two years as the Assistant to the Athletic Director at King’s College (Pa.).
Plummer is no stranger to the Messiah Athletics Department. He completed his undergraduate degree in sport management from Messiah in 2014, before earning his Master’s of Arts in Higher Education, with a concentration in Collegiate Athletics Management, from Messiah in 2016. While pursuing his Master’s, Plummer was a graduate assistant for the Messiah wrestling program and during his two years on the Messiah bench, the Falcons finished sixth and second in the country as a team.
During the last two academic years, Plummer has served as the Assistant to the Athletic Director and Assistant Wrestling Coach at King’s College in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. While with the Monarchs, he focused the majority of his time on NCAA compliance while also working with program’s budgets, helping build the alumni base for institutional advancement, and assisting with the completion of the Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act (EADA) Report.
Plummer’s hiring comes on the heels of Messiah Athletics being awarded one of seven NCAA Division III Strategic Alliance Matching Grants for the 2018-19 academic year. The grants aim to enhance ethnic minority and gender representation in mid- to senior-level intercollegiate athletics administrative positions across Division III. By accepting the grant, the Athletics Department commits to at least five years with the position with the NCAA providing funds toward the position for the next three years.
In addition to his coaching and administration experience, Plummer was a four-year member of the Falcons’ wrestling program. A standout on the mat, Plummer qualified for the National Tournament twice and finished his career as an All-American at 174 lbs. in 2014.
