There are plenty of typical pastimes a father and son can enjoy together.
Some families like to go fishing, whiles some bond over home improvement projects and other hobbies.
For the Plunk family, however, the common denominator between Ken and his sons; Joseph, Jacob and Alex, is a love of football. The Tascosa head coach has been at the helm in Amarillo for more than a decade, leading the Rebels to multiple deep playoff runs and nearly 120 wins during that span.
A few of the Rebels’ best seasons in recent memory came with two of Plunk’s sons on the roster, as Joseph and Jacob helped Tascosa reach the Class 6A Division II state semifinals in 2018. The trio of Plunk boys are a few years removed from their high school days, playing under the tutelage of their father, but that doesn’t mean the family tradition is going anywhere.
Joseph Plunk’s journey
Joseph Plunk, Ken’s youngest son, was a junior on the Rebels’ squad that reached the state semifinals before falling to eventual state champion Longview.
After another solid season as a senior at Tascosa, the star quarterback got an opportunity to continue his career on the gridiron. Plunk would go on to play defensive back at nearby Texas Tech, where he played five years for the Red Raiders.
At the beginning of Plunk’s career in Lubbock, the former Rebels’ star crossed paths with Abilene Christian head coach Keith Patterson, who was Texas Tech’s defensive coordinator at the time. That connection proved fruitful in 2025, after Plunk’s playing career with the Red Raiders came to an end.
That still wasn’t the end of Plunk’s football journey, though. Instead, the recent TTU graduate followed in his father’s footsteps, taking a coaching job at ACU under Patterson.
“Having my dad as a coach was a huge impact,” Joseph Plunk said. “ You know, me and him, we’ve always had a deep connection, and we were able to talk about football constantly, and we both just have such a passion for the game. So he had a very important role on why I had success at the high school level, and that I did what I could do at the college level. He’s one of the main reasons I got into coaching.”
In Plunk’s first year on staff with the Wildcats, a Division I FCS program, Abilene Christian has earned ranked wins against No. 25 Stephen F. Austin, No. 18 Austin Peay, No. 21 West Georgia and No. 2 Tarleton State.
Plunk is listed on Abilene Christian’s staff website as a defensive assistant, helping coach secondary players for the Wildcats.
Following his father’s footsteps
For Ken Plunk, Joseph’s father and former head coach, it’s no surprise that his son joined the coaching ranks after a successful career as a player. Plunk recognized that Joseph had a similar passion for the gridiron, the same passion that fueled a state-semifinal run and five-year college career.
“A lot of coaches kind of follow the route that Joseph followed,” Ken Plunk said. “He got a lot out of his abilities, he probably maximized his talents. To be able to get on the field at a Power 4 school without having the greatest genetics in the world, that was impressive. A lot of good coaches are like that. They have to really understand the game, because they’re not going to overwhelm you with their athletic ability. I expected him to coach. He’s always liked football. The other two, they did not want to coach. I was fine with that. It’s a hard profession. But I’ve always thought that Joseph likes coaching.”
Plunk also noted that his philosophy changed after coaching Alex, admitting that he may have been too “active” coaching his son. Plunk said he learned from that experience, though, and mostly “stayed out of” coaching Jacob and Joseph.
Joseph’s position as a coach has created a new dynamic between the father-son duo, who can discuss game strategies from across the dinner table when both are in the same city.
Football has always helped the Plunk family bond, that’s just life when you’ve been a high school coach for more than 30 years. Now, though, the brothers are more spread out, as each has grown up and built their own life.
When the whole family is still able to get together, though, the group’s love of football and involvement in the game is always a central piece of the Plunk’s life.
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Former Tascosa football star Joseph Plunk is following in his father’s coaching footsteps
Reporting by Randall Sweet, Amarillo Globe-News / Amarillo Globe-News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
