AN NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP LEGEND
Turner remains a fan favorite
By Kristen Leigh Porter
Twenty-five years ago, Landon Turner and the Indiana Hoosiers
were cutting down the nets in Philadelphia.
With the Final Four now in his hometown, this weekend has
been a blur of appearances and speaking engagements for the 45-year-old,
whose memories of the national championship run are chronicled
in "Landon Turner's Tales From the 1980-81 Indiana Hoosiers."
"The Final Four is a special time," said Turner, who paused
between signing copies of the book Saturday afternoon outside
Champps.
The title game was the last in a Hoosiers uniform for Turner,
who posed for pictures with IU fans and chatted with out-of-towners.
His 6-foot-11-inch frame is folded into a wheelchair, the result
of being paralyzed from the chest down in a car crash four months
after the title game.
It took Turner and Bloomington Herald-Times sports editor
Stan Sutton a year and a half to write the book, which came out
in October. Originally, 7,500 copies were printed, and 3,000
more were printed recently.
"Fans come and tell me all the time how good it made them
feel when we just went through the tournament blowing everybody
out," he said. "A lot of people are more encouraged by how
I overcame the situation of being in a wheelchair than winning
the national championship."
After the accident, Turner was determined to be independent.
He still is surprised by public perception of individuals in
wheelchairs.
"They think everybody in a wheelchair is helpless," Turner
said. "Even though they are helpful, they think I can't open
the door for myself, they think I have somebody put on my clothes,
that I can't do anything.
"That's the wrong perception. People in wheelchairs carry
on independent lives every day."
Turner, a resident of Indianapolis who attended Tech High
School, remains active in public speaking and real estate.
Every Thursday, he participates in a mentoring program of
the 100 Black Men of Indianapolis, working with kids at Fall
Creek Valley Middle School in Lawrence Township. When the weather
gets warmer, he's looking forward to going turkey hunting.
He hopes his story reminds fans not only how great of a team
he was on, but of his story.
"It was positive writing about and remembering all the good
times," Turner said.
Call Star reporter Kristen Leigh Porter at (317) 444-2611.
Copyright 2006 IndyStar.com. All rights reserved
