HUNTINGTON, IN (October 28, 2007) – On its face, Landon Turner’s story of the challenges of helping lead the Indiana University men’s basketball team to the 1981 NCAA championship is much like his teammates’.
He dealt with the task of juggling athletics and academics, not to mention the coaching style of arguably the most cantankerous college basketball coach in history.
But just four months after that victory, the 6-foot-10 basketball player who coped with the cussing and criticism of Bob Knight and played alongside Isiah Thomas faced an even bigger obstacle.
Turner was in a single-car crash on July 25, 1981, that left him paralyzed from the chest down.
Sitting in his wheelchair behind a table signing copies of his book “Landon Turner’s Tales from the 1980-81 Indiana Hoosiers,” Turner talked casually and candidly about his experiences with the handful of people who stopped by to see him at the Huntington City-Township Public Library on Saturday.
Pathfinder Services Inc. invited Turner to give the book signing at the library. He was also the keynote speaker at the organization’s annual recognition dinner Saturday night.
“We brought him in to deliver his message: just to persevere and never give up,” said John Niederman, president of Pathfinders Services.
After the crash, Turner spent five months in the hospital recuperating before he was able to go home.
“It’s so amazing that we can be taken out like that,” Turner said. “I just remember driving down Highway 46, and the next thing I remember is waking up in Memorial Hospital.”
He spent months in rehabilitation but was eventually able to return to IU in the fall of 1982 to finish school and earn a bachelor’s degree in physical education.
Turner now regularly speaks at schools, churches and other organizations about his experiences.
He spent more than an hour reminiscing about IU’s 1981 national championship victory with fans who came to the book signing.
Ken Moore, a Huntington native who was a student at IU during the 1981 NCAA championship, said watching the team – and Turner’s performances in particular – was a highlight of his experience on campus.
“I lived and breathed IU basketball while I was down there,” Moore said.
Turner talked about the obstacles of doing his best academically and athletically – which were equally important when playing for Knight.
“He’s a good coach, but he’s a perfectionist,” he said. “He wants you to play percent of hard all the time, and if he feels like you’re not giving 100 yourself, you’re going to be in trouble.”
Turner said he spent much of the 1980-81 season in Knight’s “doghouse” because of poor grades or less-than-stellar performance on the court.
“My biggest challenge was dealing with myself and becoming a lot more mature,” he said. “Instead of being out there, partying and trying to get my groove on, I just knew I had to get my act together, and I did.”
But even after a lot of time on the bench, Turner showed he was capable of grooving on the court in the NCAA semifinal game, when he was the leading scorer and second in rebounds.
He said he hopes he can inspire others to believe they can overcome any obstacle as well.
“I could have easily given up when I was young,” Turner said. “I just try to encourage everyone to never give up and never quit, even in the face of adversity.”