OLINE77 50 Report Share Posted April 26, 2006 thoughts and prayers to his family Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigD4VT 11 Report Share Posted April 26, 2006 Godspeed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bighouse 10 Report Share Posted April 26, 2006 Another coaching legend has left us. My thoughts and prayers are to the family. He has given us many great memories, great games and great quotes. He will be missed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghs84 10 Report Share Posted April 26, 2006 god bless him and his family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluefield_Rules 46 Report Share Posted April 26, 2006 Pardon my ignorance on the subject, but was the man still coaching? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beamerball 566 Report Share Posted April 26, 2006 He had just retired in March. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasp1 10 Report Share Posted April 26, 2006 when did this happen and what happend to him? I did not see anythig in the paper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ironlung 10 Report Share Posted April 27, 2006 This morning. He was battling lots of health problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beamerball 566 Report Share Posted April 27, 2006 http://www.timesnews.net/sportsArticle.dna?_StoryID=3627494 Thursday, April 27, 2006 By GEORGE THWAITES Times-News APPALACHIA - During his storied career as football coach at Appalachia High School, Tom Turner always liked to have the element of surprise on his side. That was an advantage he maintained to the very end. The 54-year-old Turner, who retired this past March due to a combination of health issues, died in his sleep early Wednesday morning of undetermined causes. He was discovered by family members about 6 a.m. "He was pretty sick. He liked to hide injuries and pain so nobody would feel sorry for him," said son Travis Turner. "He wouldn't really tell me how badly he was feeling. Everybody in this community thought he was invincible, like he was Superman." The news of Turner's death stunned his longtime coaching colleagues in Southwest Virginia. They didn't see it coming. "Everybody's just heartbroken about this," Powell Valley coach Phil Robbins said. "I think Tom's toughness had hidden from all of us who knew him exactly how bad he was hurting and how sick he really was." Turner coached in multiple Virginia High School Coaches Association All-Star Games after winning his first state title in 1989. He was known and liked by coaches in all classifications from all corners of the state. "This is a great loss for all of us," said Mike Smith, executive director of the VHSCA. "This is going to have impact all around the state. All the football coaches know Tom and have a lot of respect for him." The epicenter of grief was Appalachia High School, where Turner coached the Bulldogs to five Group A state football championships. Appalachia Principal George Barton met with the faculty at 7:30 a.m. and put the school's crisis plan into effect. The student body was informed of Turner's death at 8:30 a.m. "Central office personnel sent grief counselors down here ... pastors from the community," Barton said. "It's a big loss for us over here. We're all hurting. The community is in shock." Barton and assistant coaches Roger Austin and Bobby Sanders assembled the Appalachia football players at 9:45 a.m. "I felt like they needed some time together to reflect and release some of their emotions," Barton said. "That was a good time for them. Plus, it was a good time for me. Tom was more than a co-worker. He was my buddy." Turner was inducted into the Virginia High School League Hall of Fame this past October alongside Gate City coach Nick Colobro. Over 26 years at Appalachia, Turner compiled a 205-107-1 record running one of Virginia's smallest Group A programs. He led the Bulldogs to Group A, Division 1 state titles in 1989, 1992, 1994, 1996 and 1997. Under his tutelage, Appalachia garnered 11 Region D championships and three state runner-up finishes. This past fall, Turner led the Bulldogs to an 8-4 finish that ended with a Region D title game loss to eventual state runner-up J.I. Burton. In addition to being Appalachia's winningest coach, Turner was also one of the school's all-time best athletes. He played on Appalachia's 1971 Group A state championship football team under Jim Riggs and on the Bulldogs' 1972 Group A state championship basketball team under Gary Holloman. Turner went on to play at Virginia Tech as a linebacker and defensive lineman. Some of the cumulative health problems that led to his early retirement originated as injuries he received during his career as an athlete. "He had back and neck pains and knee pains, arthritis and other problems with his joints and ligaments," the younger Turner said. "I guess it all just finally caught up." To accommodate the large turnout expected for Turner's funeral, services will be held Saturday at the Appalachia High School gymnasium. The viewing will be held from 4 until 7 p.m., with the memorial service beginning at 7 p.m. The burial will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday at Memorial Gardens in Big Stone Gap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deerhunter85 10 Report Share Posted April 27, 2006 Truly one of the greatest coaches of all time and a well respected man. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulldogs52 484 Report Share Posted April 28, 2006 R.I.P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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