Knowing how I was conceived, I chose football because I didn't like people looking at meI always had my helmet on. "God put 10 army men in front of me on that return," said Turner. "I felt bad, so I handed my equipment over to the coach and told him I can't play anymoreI walked away crying and he followed me and gave me a life lesson: "one thing you're never gonna do is quit.". Heres why each season begins twice. Hed keep the family together. The book is broken into four sections -- football quarters -- and despite his troubled younger life, the essence of Turner has remained: He's still optimistic and determined. The movie "Relentless", based on his life, is currently in pre-production thanks to investments from celebrities Gabrielle Union, Dwyane Wade, Russell Wilson, and Ciara. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Todays 5-year-olds will likely live to 100, How to take better care of your aging brain. "He told me it was either that or I was the most gifted 14-year-old he'd ever met. In other words, elite high jumpers must be strong and fast and possess impeccable technique. After the NCAA Outdoor Championships in 2018, Turner says he was told his scholarship would be increased to a hundred percent. The 52-year-old former six-year NFL veteran is a successful father of three who resides in Houston, Tx. Walter "Sweetness" Payton was his idol, and the future Hall of Fame running back for the Chicago Bears later corresponded with the Carson-Newman running back with detailed workout recommendations. A very good read, I love reading the history of all our descendants no matter their race. The guests of honor, Shanna Batten Aguirre and Shelly Lucas Wood, both descendants of Turner, flew in from Washington, D.C., to accept the remains. She, Vernon and, by then, his little brother moved to the man's Staten Island home. We'll continue with the possibility of scattered showers and storms until 8 pm for central NC. The sources disagree on the fate of Turners corpse from the neck down. [2] His mother died when he was a freshman in high school and his stepfather while he was in college. [6] Despite concluding his senior campaign only second in rushing yards to teammate Robert Thomas, he was selected to the first team All-South Atlantic Conference in 1989. And once a director is selected and the announcement is formally made, filming will commence. More specific information will be announced soon. Turners high school coach connected him to an agency, who reluctantly signed him. Vernon Turner (born January 6, 1967)[1] is a former American college and professional football player who was a running back, wide receiver and return specialist in the National Football League (NFL) and NFL Europe League (NFLE) for eight seasons during the 1990s. He owned an office furniture installation business in North Carolina, moved into the tire manufacturing business, and currently works in the oil refining industry in Houston, Texas. I was just here practicing, he said with a glance around OUs indoor track. When Turner reached high school, he faced more challenges. But available evidence strongly suggests that this sordid tale had a gruesome appendix, and there began the mystery of what happened to Nat Turners body, and whether part of it now resides in a lab of the Smithsonian Institution. And thats exactly what he did. Whether any of these morbid relicswas actually once part of Nat Turner may never be known. Aguirre, Nat Turners fifth-great-granddaughter, said that examining history, uncomfortable as it may be, serves the common good. My mom died when I was a sophomore in high school. Can we bring a species back from the brink?, Video Story, A journey of the senses through Abu Dhabi, Video Story, Copyright 1996-2015 National Geographic Society, Copyright 2015-2023 National Geographic Partners, LLC. How a zoo break-in changed the life of an owl called Flaco, Naked mole rats are fertile until they die, study finds. "He'd take me to school everyday and pick me up until I got my high school diploma.". Bats and agaves make tequila possibleand theyre both at risk, The new year once started in Marchhere's why, Jimmy Carter on the greatest challenges of the 21st century, This ancient Greek warship ruled the Mediterranean, 3 ways Jimmy Carter changed the world for the better, The meaning of the cross of ashes on Ash Wednesday, This disease often goes under-diagnosedunless youre white, The groundbreaking promise of cellular housekeeping. The second one cleared, and Turner was back. Reich, a geneticist, is a controversial figure among some scholars for assertions he has made about genetic variations between different races. I had two options: leave school and take care of them, or stay and theyd have to go into foster care. Turner was an educated minister. Hes also the unofficial keeper of the countys insurrection memorabilia and documents, such as Nat Turners original sentencing orders. Some sources contradict one another. This guy actually lived the American dream.' The cultural and historical documentation, even if its oral, is likely to be qualitatively more reliable than genetics, he said. His mother, Jackie, was a drug addict and prostitute who struggled to keep the family intact. With a special interest in severe weather preparedness, Vernon knows a thing or two about the importance of being a calm voice within the storm. Comparing that to DNA of descendants should be able to provide an answer, and can typically be done within months. It tells the extraordinary saga of the officers and crew of the Wager, a . Nat Turner looms large 190 years after his death. Getting hurt was a bummer. They had heard about his self-published 2012 autobiography, The Next Level: A Game I Had To Play. I really cant believe Im talking to you, Hatcher told Aguirre when they spoke. "Coach stepped in and helped me," said Turner. What is wind chill, and how does it affect your body? When Turner was 6, an Italian-American customer of his mother's asked her to marry him and she accepted. There are probably tens of thousands of remains of African descended people in museums or sitting on shelves, and thats an incredible injustice, said Deetz, the historian. In fact, Olivieri spent so much time helping Turner that it prompted his wife to ask why. "I decided right then and there that I wanted to play professional football," recalled Turner. His legacy is complex diminished in death to ornaments, and lauded then and now as a freedom fighter. ", Most of all, Turner wants to represent his three children - Ashley (30), Darris (29), and Liam (5) - the "right way. "I owe him, he gave me everything he had," Turner says Olivieri told his wife. One skull is a very small sample of this highly variable world, he said. "I didn't even wanna play quarterback, that's a sissy position," quipped Turner. Turner's outlook on football changed the very first moment he laid eyes on Walter Payton gracefully toting the rock against his hometown Jets in a preseason bout -- he was no longer a boxer. * He received a full athletic scholarship to Carson-Newman College from 1986-1989 where I was named . In many ways, Turner's life story is one of redemption. For the past decade, what's believed to be Turner's skull has been in the possession of Richard Hatcher, former mayor of Gary, Indiana. Hatcher had received the skull from two Indiana civil rights activists, a husband and wife who themselves had gotten the skull from a longtime school administrator in Indiana. Vernon goes back to his group and convinces them to steal the boat from Lee's group. If we are encouraged to face the truths of our past through certain events that capture peoples attention or imagination, if it pushes people to learn and understand history, that is a good thing., Ben lives in Williamsburg, Virginia. What got him there was why he was so motivated to succeed in the first place the need to take care of his family. "The physicality of football allowed me to get my frustrations outI played so hard I'd be too tired to be upset.". I am so blessed and grateful that I was given an opportunity to be with the Buffalo Bills. He decided to transfer and landed at Arkansas. Many stories have circulated about the fate of Turners remains after his hanging. Mini Bio (1) * Vernon M. Turner was born January 6th 1967, in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York. The legacy of Nat Turner has had enduring impact, not simply upon our family, but upon American history, Aguirre said. Turner as a freshman produced disappointing performances in the 2018 NCAA Indoors (fourth) and NCAA Outdoors (sixth). After going unselected in the 1990 NFL Draft, Turner signed as a free agent with the Denver Broncos, but did not make the team. A DNA test will determine if this is actually the skull of the Virginia slave rebellion leader. He can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including FM-98.1. No one, he said, knows exactly what happened.. Thats something I really need to do for myself.. He knew at that point, he had to jump higher than 7-6 anyway, to win. [1] Among those killed were Hayes and Mary Turner. Here we go again! You would never understand the suffering of people so long ago without the history. Vernon dreamed of playing running back like his idol Walter Payton -- but one day at practice he accidentally launched himself into the starting lineup at quarterback. A lot can happen in four years, and did. He was training, improving, growing. The familys stewardship acknowledges and rejects the historical objectification of human remains of people of color. "That was the second time my life changed," noted Turner. "I thought I was done for." "My self-worth was non-existent. There are other, similar references in written and oral history about pieces of Turner that were kept as curiosities. He wasnt invited to the combine. He was on the rebound. "When people look at me and my life from the outside," Turner wrote, "they say, 'Man, VT has it all. Facebook. "Sports is a brotherhood, I didn't want to lose their respect. He found the mental toughness to get it done. anthony apocalypse costume; mark dellagrotte record; shohreh aghdashloo ever after; wendy's employment verification; is it haram to wear shorts to sleep Been a long time. He learned to read from one of his master's sons, and he eagerly absorbed intensive religious training. 2.4K views, 55 likes, 13 loves, 66 comments, 1 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Meteorologist Vernon Turner: Let's talk about the whole snake video while I have lunch and you enjoy breakfast. Dealing with pain and getting back into competitive shape has been a struggle. Two years ago, the Players Tribune approached Turner and asked him if hed like to write something for their media platform. It was just trying to figure out how to get back where I was. After going unselected in the 1990 NFL Draft, Turner was signed to a free agent contract with the Denver Broncos. On his off-time, its likely that hes trying one of the areas new restaurants, attending a live show, or training on the soccer field. The pandemic did nothing to speed the process along, he said, but the complicating factor is the level of direct genetic comparisons they are undertaking. It was a bad sprain as the outside of his ankle touched the ground. I dont know necessarily how its going to be once I really get back into it, but it doesnt feel normal yet.. But after signing with Buffalo, he had a promise to fulfill. "I know you're frustrated. Deetz cited a description of Turner that a Southampton resident created while authorities were trying to capture him in 1831; it said he had a scar on one of his temples produced by the kick of a mule. The skull at the National Museum of Natural History possibly shows signs of this injury. 2023, Charter Communications, all rights reserved. The final segment (The Fourth Quarter) enthusiastically records Turner's roller-coaster ride through the NFL. But its happening. (Matt McClain . Its not hard to find Southampton residents who refuse to speak to strangers about the event. It is here that the facts surrounding Turner end and speculation and lore begin. The Denver Broncos picked up the phone, and Turner was heading to Colorado to join the likes of John Elway and Shannon Sharpe. In honor of Black History Month, Abandoned Country is republishing the following article, which originally appeared in The Virginian-Pilot and Daily Press on August 21, 2021 as Its been 190 years since Nat Turners Rebellion. He piled up 1,257 yards during the 1988 season, capturing championship game MVP honors -- Turner finished his career fourth in school history in rushing yards. Several versions claim that he was flayed, quartered, and decapitated before his torso was finally buried in the local paupers cemetery. JAVASCRIPT IS DISABLED. While his mother was often "sick" and his stepfather, who Turner resented at the time but later grew to love, tried to quell her, young Vernon was left to provide as the caretaker for his four siblings. But it is of immeasurable value because it is a poignant reminder of the price of freedom. Other than the Rebecca Vaughn House in Courtland, the homes associated with the rebellion have been neglected, nearly all fallen into ruin. Born in Bed-Stuy, Turner, the oldest of five children, relocated along with his mother, Jackie, and stepfather, Sam, to Sunnyside just prior to his seventh birthday. Not so familiar is the long and grisly aftermath of the short-lived insurrection that the bodies of participants and bystanders were reduced to trophies, and that the lingering pain of the shocking episode would continue to arouse passion nearly two centuries later. Nat Turner was an African-American slave preacher in Virginia who led the bloodiest slave rebellion in American history. ", "People ask me how'd you do it?" "My purpose is to help as many people as I can before I join my mom, dad, and sister. My entire life has been one big arcade game, Turner laughs. A world contender. Eternal God, we are gathered here today to honor you, and to honor the legendary liberator, emancipator of the enslaved, and revolutionary of righteous, the Reverend Nathaniel Turner.. He heard through the grapevine VanHootgens days at OU might be limited VanHootgen eventually did step down but Turner ultimately opted to return to Norman because he wanted to work again with high jump coach Jerel Langley. OU baseball rewind:David Sandlin's 'outstanding' outing highlights bounce-back week for Sooners. When does spring start? Just the players I came across and learned from Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, Andre Reed, Cornelius Bennett, Daryl Talley, Bruce Smith, Don Beebe. The script has already been written by Brad Gann, the writer of the Disney hit Invincible starring Mark Wahlberg . See what I mean about the mental side? This skull is believed to have belonged to Nat Turner, who led a slave rebellion in 1831. The ethnographic museum of the past is making its way to the exit.. 5h Rain continues to move into the area. HTML tags allowed in your comment:

. I was doing everything I could to send money back home. Bruce Turner, a Virginia Beach resident and a great-great-great-great-grandson of Nat Turner, is not convinced its his. Because I'm you, from the future. The vast majority do not survive 24 hours. But Shatsky called Turner and told him not to unpack, because he was heading to Buffalo to be on their practice squad instead. I wouldnt put anything past him, Langford said. Social vs. medical egg freezing: Whats the difference? The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Bob Franklin made many attempts to find a fitting home for the heirloom, including offering it to the Smithsonian Institution. White people killed at least 13 black people during the next two weeks. Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. I will never, ever be able to pay back the Buffalo Bills for what they did for me, Turner confesses. Support his work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today. All rights reserved (About Us). "I'm so blessed and grateful just to be on this Earth and be able to pay it forwardI'm not worthy of this," said Turner. You can contact him at benswenson@cox.net. He wasnt invited to any senior bowls. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Why wetlands are so critical for life on Earth, Rest in compost? Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. But then a few weeks before the fall semester started, Turner sprained his left ankle playing pick-up basketball. Today, this is all that remains. Nat Turner organized and planned to overthrow a system that supported oppression, he said. Francis believes that any acknowledgment accompanying buried remains should be simple and respectful, something like Nat Turner, Leader of the Insurrection of 1831.. Turner acknowledges the past year has been tough. "I was so grateful, to do it against the Bills who cut me the year beforeit was the exclamation point on an unbelievable journey.". "I found a 10-pound weight in the weight room, unlaced my shoe, and tied it around my waist under my pants on weigh-in day.". these days -- but once upon a time he was navigating one of the most difficult upbringings imaginable. He wants to win championships. Who created it? In a very tangible way, it asserts the humanity of people who were systemically dehumanized. There are multiple theories about where it ended up, but one skull believed to be his is now in a laboratory at the Smithsonians National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., after a bizarre detour through Gary, Indiana. He said that his team is taking great care with the identification of the skull and that the sophisticated techniques theyre employing take time. Only two men in the world this indoor season have gone so high. Id been hurting for over a year, he said. Disappearing history and the natural world reclaiming it, Nat Turners Skull; A Grisly Mystery Nearly Two Centuries in the Making, Forgotten Asylums; A Solemn History of Mental Health, Its been 190 years since Nat Turners Rebellion. His left foot is his plant foot, and even though he practiced last year, rehabilitating his ankle has been an ongoing process. Try a week on us. After being released, he played the last game of the season for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and was Tampa's primary return specialist during the 1994 season. I just didnt know how long it would take.. In 1995, Turner split time with the Carolina Panthers and Detroit Lions. A National Geographic team has made the first ascent of the remote Mount Michael, looking for a lava lake in the volcanos crater. The Denver Broncos picked up the phone, and Turner was heading to Colorado to join the likes of John Elway and Shannon Sharpe. Its about time, Turner said. Spectrum News 1 welcomes Meteorologist Britney Hamilton. Turner's football memories stretch back to his Pop Warner League games at Clove Lakes Park and a youth coach, Bill Thatcher, who had the wisdom to reach out to the youngster's family and encourage Turner's athletic abilities. Vernon would go on to amass more than 3,000 kick/punt return yards over the course of his six-year NFL career, and reached Super Bowl XXV with the Bills in 1990. During those conversations, he says he often shares the following quote (widely attributed to Mark Twain): The two most important days of your life are the day you were born and the day you find out why., That was pivotal for me, Turner emphasizes. Brutal mysteries remain unsolved., Archaeology of Virginia; The Uncovered Secrets, Pamplin City; The Ghost of a Railroad Boomtown, Abandoned Slavery Museum; The Forgotten Remains, Travel-Buffalo Springs a Historic Site in Mecklenburg County Virginia | Kathiey's World A Lifestyle Blog, Wash Woods; A Community Beholden to the Merciless Atlanic, An Idle Fleet Receding; The Ghost Fleet of the James River. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. He made his last appearance for CarsonNewman during the national championship game on December 16 when the team defeated Emporia State University of Kansas 3420, marking the Eagles' third title in four years. He was a 21-year-old kid who had promised his mother before she died that if anything happened to his father, hed step up and assume the responsibility of the household. He has been credited as a progenitor of jump blues and of early rock and roll. "I begged and pleaded with God on the plane ride home for another chance.". A sign erected by Turner descendants to acknowledge the places where he concealed himself while hiding from authorities has been repeatedly riddled with gunshots. Still, Turner cleared 7-3 this spring and finished second last weekend at the Big 12 Indoor Championships. From pioneering the use of solar energy to helping to eradicating disease, here are just a few ways the 39th U.S. president has made the world a better place. His deeds have proven to be an enduring episode that still stirs emotion. I dont know what it is, Turner said. "He told me to have something to fall back on and I loved that coach," acknowledged Turner, who chose not to share the coach's name. Please be respectful of copyright. Jim, you now have my life in the palm of your hands!". I have two brothers and two sisters, he says. Though offers were scarce, Turner found himself playing running back at Carson-Newman College in Tennessee, where he'd only go on to guide the football team to three NAIA championships, garnering first-team all-conference honors along the way. | By Meteorologist Vernon Turner In 2021, he placed fourth in the NCAA Indoor and fifth in the NCAA Outdoor, not with the dizzying heights of 7-7something, but still. When people look at me, they see me smiling almost all the time, always with a positive attitude. I spent my whole life with this skull, Franklin says. In 2010, Turner released his self-published autobiography "The Next Level: A Game I Had To Play" and is currently working on a followup self-help book. Though the shock of a culture change, moving from a predominantly African-American neighborhood into an almost exclusively white area, would rattle any young boy, it was what was going on under Vernon's own roof that would truly change his life forever. "The Next Level" is filled with touching snapshots of Turner's formative years as he was transformed from a 98-pound freshman running back at Curtis to a productive NFL wide receiver/kick returner/running back for the Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Rams, Detroit Lions and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Get up off your knees, Vernon. For years, Hatcher held on to the skull, but in 2016, long after it became clear the hall of fame wouldnt happen, he agreed, with the National Geographic Society facilitating, to hand over the skull to descendants of Nat Turner. Turner hadnt been working much with trainers or coaches as he tried to figure out where to transfer, and it left him in lots of pain when he tried to jump. Accompanied by a small army of his brethren, the group fought their way through the countryside of Southampton County, Virginia, with hopes of ending the scourge of slavery. Turner still isnt pain free but says the pain is much more manageable. As a favor to Olivieri, SI football legend Dino Mangiero helped Turner hire an agent -- an agent who admittedly didn't think VT had much of a chance at cracking the league. Hes gotten to the point where he's focusing again on technique, working again on fundamentals such as when to start his curve on his run up. As a junior in 1988, he led the team in rushing with 1,257 yards on 232 carries, and in scoring with 96 points. He speaks highly of many well-known Staten Island sports figures, starting with former Curtis head coach Fred Olivieri, who filled the role of father-figure to Turner upon his arrival at the St. George school. "I threw the ball back to the quarterback in practice one day, and the next day they moved me to QB.". Certainly, this fragile fragment holds enormous emotional value for me, for my family. Turner talked to teammates, who encouraged him to meet again with VanHootegen. You either jump high enough or you dont. The NFL draft came and went, but Vernon's name was never called. I didnt know why I was on this earth because of how I entered the world.. They didn't know what I was going throughI saw the way they were looking at me and I didn't like how it felt, I cared. Download it here. As an athlete, everyone hits their times where they might not be doing what they want to do. Those goals are clear. For that alone, not to mention all the great coaches and great players that I was blessed to be around, they provided me with an opportunity to take care of my family.. But Shatsky called Turner and. In the 185 years that followed the rebellion, Turner's place in history . PUBLISHED 1:25 PM ET Oct. 15, 2021. tells the inspiring story of how the now 44-year-old Turner moved as a young child from the mean streets of Bedford-Stuyvesant to a quiet neighborhood in Sunnyside, where he discovered a love for. I went to a small [Division II] school. He called his high school coach and said he was turning pro. I may have been in a dark place for awhile. Aguirre and Wood, the guests of honor at the ceremony, shed tears of joy when they were handed what they believe are their ancestors remains. The Richard Porter House, where rebels found that the homes namesake had fled, was standing as late as a few years ago. He was released before the end of the preseason. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. "When I made the Bills I bought a Nissan Pathfinder and I asked coach if he could hold it along with my car during offseason workoutsI saved my money to pay off the truck, got the title, and when I got back home I picked up my car and he asked if I wanted him to follow with the truck," said Turner. After two months he was captured and tried, and on November 11 he was hanged from a tree in the town of Jerusalem, now Courtland, Virginia. Now 51, hes a businessman and a motivational speaker. It was Olivieri who spearheaded Turner's decision to attend tiny Carson-Newman, an NAIA school which won a national championship during Turner's stay and also produced a handful of NFL players. At the time, the school still was a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), earning five Division I national championships during the 1980s. I convinced [my aunt] to stick around a little longer and I started doing things like cutting hair on the side to make some extra money. "People look at me like this guy is full of crap, they don't believe it all happened to me," he said. And all the while he kept his family situation to himself he says no one in college or the NFL knew. When the bloodletting ended, 55 whites lay dead. "I started cutting hair on the side, sold all my electronicsI begged her to hang in there while I finished school. I like a tall man! He was unable to attend his induction in 2001. How did the skull of a man born into slavery in Virginia wind up in Gary, Indiana? Setting everything aside, putting myself first, has helped me accomplish the things I wanted to.. Follow Lyndsey on Twitter @darcangel21, Turner and Jim Kelly at Super Bowl 25 press day in 1990. The filmmakers arranged the call. Vernon Turner hasnt always called North Carolina home, though. Big Joe Turner, byname of Joseph Vernon Turner, (born May 18, 1911, Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.died November 24, 1985, Inglewood, California), American blues singer, or "shouter," whose music included jazz, rhythm and blues, and boogie-woogie. And on the subject of Nat Turners skull, the historical record offers no straightforward answers. Update: October 13, 1:45 p.m. The family has temporarily given the skull to the Smithsonian Institution, which will conduct a DNA test to determine if it is, in fact, Turner's. If the tests . Football was on. The very next day, the Buffalo Bills came calling while Vernon was at the dinner table with his family. Its possible to retrieve genetic material from protein that could still exist in an old skull, such as in the dentin of a tooth.