Although they may be new to the neighborhood, Marianna and Ted Plumb are no strangers to Greenland Hills. They have been visiting their family, the Smiths, and their neighbors for over 20 years. They decided to make their move here official in 2021 after Ted’s declining memory issues. They now call the guest house in the Smith’s backyard their home. Surrounded by family, they often reminisce about their incredible life stories. 

Ted Plumb was born in Nevada and moved to Concord, California when he was a young boy. His dads untimely death left his mother to take care of him, his two sisters, and the family-operated farm. Despite the devastating loss, Ted was very prominent in his high school. He was a child with an immense amount of energy, causing his mom to enroll him in every activity possible. This is when he discovered his love and talent for sports. He excelled in football, basketball and was president of his senior class. Upon graduation he drove from Concord, California to Waco, Texas, to play wide receiver for Baylor University. It was at Baylor, where he met Marianna Panter, a girl from Alba, Texas. Their friendship soon turned to love.  That love has lasted 62 years. 

Upon graduation, he was signed by the NFL to play for the Buffalo Bills, but suffered a career ending neck injury during training camp. After a lengthy recovery he was given the opportunity to enter the coaching ranks, which was a lifelong goal. Coaching afforded him the opportunity to live and work all over the country. He first coached at Raymondville high school, in the southernmost part of Texas before departing for the panhandle and coaching at Lubbock High School. His next stop was back to California to begin his stint in the college ranks at Cerritos Jr. College. From there he would go on to coach at Texas Christian University, the University of Kansas, and the University of Tulsa.

While at the University of Tulsa, Ted had the opportunity to coach Dallas Cowboy and Hall of Famer, Drew Pearson. Pearson has cited Ted as one of his most influential coaches in his career.

After entering the NFL in 1974 as a coach with the New York Giants (and the youngest assistant coach in the league), Ted went on to coach for the Atlanta Falcons and the Chicago Bears.  He also became assistant head coach and offensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles, the receiver and tight end coach for the Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals, the Carolina Panthers and the St. Louis Rams. Ted is lucky to have experienced great success in his career.  If you ask Ted his greatest success, it would have to be coach of the Chicago Bears the year they became Super Bowl Champions!

Ted, Marianna and their three kids, Loyal, John, and Molly, experienced the non-stop travel and drama of being a part of an NFL coaching family. Since retiring in 2002, Ted and Marianna have enjoyed spending time with family and friends. They moved back to East Texas, to spend the next 15 years enjoying time with her mother Hazel, and her extended family. Living an hour away also allowed Ted and Marianna the opportunity to attend years of Mockingbird Elementary Grandparents Day ceremonies, field day events, JL Long and Woodrow football games, and Greenland Hills Chili Cook-Off’s.  

Finally, in 2021, they became permanent residents of the M Street family, along with their dog Pearl. Ted loves to walk Pearl throughout the neighborhood and can often be seen happily chatting up a storm with neighbors and strangers alike. If you happen to miss him on his daily walk, you can catch him and Marianna on the front porch of Dave and Molly’s house, or out front on the turquoise adirondack chairs. 

They’ve settled into a life of loving grandparents (they have 11 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren). Sadly, Ted has been challenged with increasing short term memory loss and some moderate dementia but still loves to strike up a conversation. If you see him out,  don’t be surprised if  he hits you up with his “go-to” line, “How ya doin? Where are you from?” This chance conversation may leave you in awe of a man with a wonderful story to tell.

Note: This beautiful story was written by Ted and Marianna’s granddaughter, Luella. It was written for a school essay project, however, the depth of love that is expressed by this young lady is just a small sample of the love that resides in the Plumb house. Multiple generations gather to enjoy laughter, love and memories. It’s reminiscent of an era long ago.