Retired Navy SEAL From CHS Reflects on Athletes and Heroes

Paul Plumb, a one-time Coronado High School Athlete of the Year who became a Navy SEAL, has some perspective on the idea of labeling sports stars as heroes.

He doesn't buy it, according to U-T San Diego.

He was a three-sport star at CHS and played rugby at San Diego State before taking on the rigorous SEAL training, part of his lengthy naval career. And his physical prowess has taken a toll – he calls himself a “walking orthopedic museum” because of his multiple joint replacements.

He rejects the hero descriptor for himself, and for famous athletes as well. Plumb says the label is for those who make the ultimate sacrifice .

His profile for IslandBeerClub.com, a group of local enthusiasts, lists some of Plumb's likes and dislikes – the former, “good friends, good food, good drink” and the latter, “smoking, obesity, laziness, and bad knees.”