Plummer pro handball event returns to Cd'A

COEUR d’ALENE — A decade removed from his last NFL snap, 42-year-old Jake Plummer is still light on his toes.

The erstwhile Denver Broncos quarterback may not be as shifty as his dated “Jake the Snake” moniker suggests, but within the small confines of a handball court, he can move.

Plummer is more fervent about the latter sport, one which has kept him in shape since retirement.

He and around 100 others will be slapping the ball around in the Lake City today through Sunday as part of the eighth annual Plummer Family Helluva Handball Bash, a World Pro Handball event held at Peak and Health Wellness, 940 Ironwood Drive in Coeur d’Alene.

Around 25 male and female high-level pro handball players from around the country will compete. The event is part of the Race4Eight Pro 6 schedule, a tour which includes stops in New York and Arizona.

Proceeds from the event will go to the Jake Plummer Foundation.

Plummer, who lives near Boulder, Colo., has a house near Mica Bay and is happy to help spread the sport’s popularity in Coeur d’Alene, where his father, Steve Plummer, currently resides.

Steve was a stalwart handball player who got his three boys — Jake, Eric and Brett — into the sport. Jake thinks Eric, the sports editor at the Bonner County Daily Bee in Sandpoint, is the best of the bunch.

“He still kicks my ass,” Plummer joked. “And (dad) was a big part of that.”

Plummer prepped at Capital High School in Boise before starring at Arizona State.

After playing six seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, he compiled a 39-15 record as starter in four seasons with the Denver Broncos.

At age 32, he stepped away from football — a game in which he credits handball for making him better — in the prime of his career, just after helping Denver reach the AFC title game.

He also walked away from the $5.3 million he would have earned for playing the 2007 season.

Now, Plummer is seldom involved with football outside of helping a handful of local youth quarterbacks. Naturally, being married and a father of three — two boys and a girl — takes up most of his time.

When he gets that athletic itch, though, he grabs his goggles and gloves, then heads to the local athletic club to mix it up. He and brother Eric are both in the pro doubles draw.

“When I retired from football, this was a nice transition sport,” Plummer said. “It makes the beer taste better when you’re done.”

This weekend’s event will also feature a youth skills competition for ages 5-16, which is free.