Turner to enter Hall of Fame

While many of his fellow inductees in this year’s class of the IU Athletics Hall of Fame enjoyed athletic careers well past their time at IU, Landon Turner is being inducted this weekend despite not even playing a full four seasons for the Hoosiers.

An Indianapolis native who attended Arsenal Tech High School, Turner was once a 6-foot-10-inch, 235-pound junior forward and center for then-IU Coach Bob Knight on the team’s 1981 National Championship squad.

He averaged 9.5 points and 3.7 rebounds per game, along with a 56.1 field goal percentage, as part of that team.

In three seasons, Turner had career totals of 7.5 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. Expected to have an even greater role the next year on a title defense team, Turner never had a senior season.

On July 25, 1981, Turner was involved in a one-car accident east of Bloomington that left him paralyzed from the chest down.

His career on the court in Assembly Hall finished, Turner returned to school and stayed involved with the team, along with one more squad.

The following year, in the 1982 NBA Draft, Red Auerbach of the Boston Celtics used his team’s final draft pick in the 10th round to select Turner in a symbolic gesture toward his one-time professional potential.

He was also named an honorary All-American by the media for the 1982 season.
Turner graduated from IU in 1984 with a degree in physical education. In the years since, Turner has worked as a motivational speaker and played in wheelchair basketball leagues.

— Max McCombs