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. I went to a small [Division II] school. Turner said that hes learned to focus on himself. The skull has been in the museums custody for more than 4 years. 0:04. Craniopagus twins, joined at the head, are a rarity one in 2.5 million. He was unable to attend his induction in 2001. Learn More. In recent years, Francis has been leading tours around Southampton to acknowledge some of the important sites, although hes conducted none since the onset of the pandemic. Library of Congress After Turner's death, local doctors mutilated his corpse. You might say its the perfect Hollywood ending. [7] That year, Turner ran for 869 yards and 12 touchdowns, and also returned 10 kickoffs for 263 yards, including one for 73 yards. Turner's defining moment comes in Tampa Bay, when he returned a punt 80 yards for a touchdown -- the first regular-season punt return for a TD in Buccaneer history. Many of them had been alive during the attacks. The ethnographic museum of the past is making its way to the exit.. In 1993, Turner signed with the Detroit Lions, backing up return specialist Mel Gray. No less certain is the fate of Turners skull. [2], Turner attended Curtis High School on Staten Island where he played football as a quarterback and also lettered in track and field. Some remember him as a fanatical killer, others as a freedom fighter inspired by his faith. He didn't quit, but he continued to struggle with his own self-esteem throughout his youth. But what people don't see is the bad dreams I still have to this day due to events that occurred while I was growing up. 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. Wouldnt surprise me if you saw 7-10 come out of him.. I was five-foot-nine. The familys stewardship acknowledges and rejects the historical objectification of human remains of people of color. He put on fifteen pounds of muscle and dropped his 40-yard dash time down from 4.5 to 4.3. In 1995, Turner split time with the Carolina Panthers and Detroit Lions. Turner, a phenom when he was coming out of Yukon High School and when he jumped 7 feet, 7 inches as a Sooner freshman, had become a mystery. Brutal mysteries remain unsolved.. 0:53. 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. I always had the same goals. Those familiar with the intensely-driven, competitive young man understand the passion and sincerity he displayed while helping raise four younger siblings and making sure that his family's physical needs were met. Turner had two jumps at 7-7. (Turner plans to visit Staten Island on May 13-14 and June 25 for book signings. [3] In November 2011, Curtis High School inducted him into its Hall of Fame. Sweet tea, Southern hospitality, football, and the opportunity to deliver the latest weather headlines to his friends and family are just a few reasons why this North Carolina native loves living in the South. Despite all his success, Vernon didn't want to hear it. His legacy is complex diminished in death to ornaments, and lauded then and now as a freedom fighter. All of these elements converge in David Grann's upcoming book, "The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder.". The 2018 election through then Republican candidate Mark Harris' eyes. He earned all-city and all-state honors and left the school with over 4,000 yards passing. He's worked as a manager at a tire manufacturing facility and an office installation company, but is currently managing an oil refinery. I became obsessed, forgot about boxing, all I cared about was footballand that's how my career started. "I never though I was all that good," added Turner. But this time, Turner stayed mentally strong. His mother, Jackie, was a drug addict and prostitute who struggled to keep the family intact. 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'd take me to school everyday and pick me up until I got my high school diploma.". said Turner. In 1831, after receiving what he believed to be prophecies from God, Nat Turner led the bloodiest slave revolt in American history. "You're frustrated because you've been a parent to your younger brothers and sisters since you were a little kid yourselfcooking dinner, changing diapers, braiding hair -- things a mom is supposed to dobut she's always too "sick," wrote Turner in his letter. He received a football scholarship to Carson-Newman, which gave him a chance to get an education, but the sport was never something he saw himself doing beyond college. Bruce Turner, a Virginia Beach resident and a great-great-great-great-grandson of Nat Turner, is not convinced its his. All rights reserved (About Us). I will never, ever be able to pay back the Buffalo Bills for what they did for me, Turner confesses. The electrifying play was made even sweeter because it came against the Detroit Lions, coached by Fontes. The sources disagree on the fate of Turners corpse from the neck down. It takes courage and character for a person to unlock the door to a disturbing past, and that's exactly what Vernon Turner, a former National Football League player and the 1989 Advance Sportsman of the Year, does in his recently self-published autobiography. According to Bruce Turner, if theres even a remote possibility that it belonged to Nat Turner, there are three possible spots for burial, the most logical being a small, unmarked and overgrown plot in Courtland where the bodies of executed rebels were interred in a mass grave, and where archaeologists conducting a preliminary dig discovered human remains in 2016. A very good read, I love reading the history of all our descendants no matter their race. That accomplishment was significant because it enabled him to earn large weekly paychecks which he sent back to Staten Island so his four younger siblings could remain in their Sunnyside home. And I had an okay college career, Turner says. I just didnt know how long it would take.. Vernon Turner was a topic of conversation when he was gone last year, but if all goes as planned, he'll again be creating a buzz for what he does when he jumps. You're frustrated that mom, a black woman, married a white Italian man and moved the family from Brooklyn out to Staten Island to live with him," wrote Turner in a letter to his younger self for the Players Tribune. 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. He moved to Staten Island New York in 1973. At 5-foot-8, 180 pounds, Turner was severely undersized, but he posted solid preseason numbersup until the final game. Those were the questions floating around in the no-excuse world of track and field. Support his work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today. Turner's mother Jackie struggled mightily with opioid addiction, an ongoing problem that Vernon witnessed first-hand as a youth when he stumbled upon his mother shooting up in the bathroom of his family home. Seems everyone had an idea what happened to Turner after an electric freshman year at OU in 2018. Spectrum News 1 officially welcomed its newest member of the Weather on the 1s team Friday morning. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Turner's aunt was pitching in with the kids, while Olivieri was doing all he could for Vernon financially, but eventually his aunt informed him she could no longer support the family. Mini Bio (1) * Vernon M. Turner was born January 6th 1967, in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York. PUBLISHED 1:25 PM ET Oct. 15, 2021. The 42-year-old mother of eight died . More specific information will be announced soon. He wasnt invited to any senior bowls. With no money to his name, Turner once again sought out Olivieri -- seeking help to try out for the NFL. 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. I wouldnt put anything past him, Langford said. I was 160-something pounds. In a very tangible way, it asserts the humanity of people who were systemically dehumanized. The familys patriarch was a doctor in Richmond, Virginia, in the early 20th century. "I was one of the smallest guys, height and weight," said Turner, who stood 5-foot-6, 97 pounds during his freshman year. 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. In 2002, a former mayorof Gary named Richard G. Hatcher held a fundraising gala for a project he hoped to usher to fruition, the National Civil Rights Hall of Fame. "People look at me like this guy is full of crap, they don't believe it all happened to me," he said. He found the mental toughness to get it done. "It was the 1970s, and Staten Island wasn't known for its affection for black people," says Turner. 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. In fact, throughout American history, many corpses have been mutilated, especially Black ones, though not exclusively. This guy actually lived the American dream.' So Turner doubled down. How a zoo break-in changed the life of an owl called Flaco, Naked mole rats are fertile until they die, study finds. However, if you listen closely, you just might find him with one of the many instruments he knows how to play. Marv [Levy] let us coach ourselves on the field during practice, and thats what made that group so special. Abandoned Country is a companion blog to that project. Several had heard reports or read newspaper articles stating that the skull had been donated to Hatcher at a 2002 charity gala for the Civil Rights Hall of Fame, a museum project Hatcher has long championed. Woo cleared 7-9. Regardless of the skulls ultimate identity and resting place, many feel that the attention it is receiving signals a larger shift in perceptions about the importance of the rebellion to American identity. I dont know if I was burned out. "God put 10 army men in front of me on that return," said Turner. (Hatcher died in 2019. 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 return. After the NCAA Outdoor Championships in 2018, Turner says he was told his scholarship would be increased to a hundred percent. The cultural and historical documentation, even if its oral, is likely to be qualitatively more reliable than genetics, he said. (Matt McClain . It tells the extraordinary saga of the officers and crew of the Wager, a . The chain of transmission includes Franklin and Cora Breckinridge, civil rights activists who donated the skull to Hatcher in 2002. You either run fast enough or you dont. Football was on. His chief competitor got the draw on him. He was released by the Bills before the start of the next season, and went on to play for the Los Angeles Rams, Detroit Lions and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. [5] During the championship game in December 1988, the running back helped to lead CarsonNewman to a 5617 victory over Adams State University of Colorado while rushing for 189 yards and three touchdowns. 5h Rain continues to move into the area. I think these last two meets were big for him. "I witnessed one of the best players on the planet and I wanted to be just like him. During his one season in Buffalo, Turner gave one-hundred percent in practice, so much so that some of his teammates would tell him to ease up, that it wasnt game time. Turner would turn to them and reply, It is for me. He couldnt afford to take it halfway or lose his job. This injury could be one piece of evidence that helps identify the skull at the Smithsonian as Turners, said Kelley Fanto Deetz, a Black history scholar who was a consultant for The Birth of a Nation, a 2016 film about the insurrection written and directed by Norfolk native Nate Parker. "Coach Olivieri drove this green Chevy Nova, it was a little piece of crap," remembered Turner. 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. The gatherings 83-year-old host, Richard Gordon Hatcher, who served as Garys mayor from 1968 to 1987, planned the event at which a skull alleged to be Turners was turned over to his descendants. 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. In 1991, he joined the Los Angeles Rams, playing as their primary kickoff and punt returner through the 1992 season. It was a bad sprain as the outside of his ankle touched the ground. Turner had to dig deep and jump higher than he had gone in four years. Cant seem to pull it together at the Trials. said Turner. The chain of custody seemed plausible. Its not hard to find Southampton residents who refuse to speak to strangers about the event. Injured an ankle. "I threw the ball back to the quarterback in practice one day, and the next day they moved me to QB.". 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. When the bloodletting ended, 55 whites lay dead. Michael Blakey is director of William & Marys Institute for Historical Biology. And while he was there, he figured hed learn as much as he could from some of the best players in the league. He has been credited as a progenitor of jump blues and of early rock and roll. In many ways, Turner's life story is one of redemption. He called his high school coach and said he was turning pro. It becomes clear that despite her lifestyle, Turner's mother played a pivotal role in his development with some real "tough-love." (Read about Turner's complex legacy.). He decided to transfer and landed at Arkansas. Yet another possible Nat Turner skull might have stayed closer to home. Turner came to learn that he was conceived when his mother was gang-raped and beaten as a teenager by a group of men in Brooklyn -- a badge of shame that he carried around throughout his youth, seeing himself as a daily reminder to his mother of the trauma she suffered. They had a higher expectation of themselves than what their coaches had.. Today it is a twisted jumble of boards, bricks and vegetation. The 52-year-old former six-year NFL veteran is a successful father of three who resides in Houston, Tx. 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. People were talking about what Turner might do as a Sooner and maybe one day as an Olympian. Krista and Tatiana Hogan were born October 25, 2006, in Vancouver, B.C. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. As high jumpers, we go through slumps, Langford said. 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. 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. Among many Americans, the general details of Nat Turners Rebellion may be fairly well known. The top three jumps at the 2016 Olympic Trials were 7-6, 7-4 3/4 and 7-3. Amid the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020, activists saw inspiration in Nat Turners Rebellion. "Vernon Turner's Improbable Journey to the NFL" will air on Fox Sports 1 at 10:30 p.m. EST on Sept. 21. . Born in BedfordStuyvesant, a neighborhood in the central portion of the New York City borough of Brooklyn, Turner is the oldest of five children, with two brothers and two sisters. Its about time, Turner said. The exit to Arkansas. 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 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. EMAIL: Vernon.Turner@charter.com. The Covid shutdown which wiped out both 2020 championships. "It was a major adjustment," said Turner. Now its trying to stay consistent.. Dealing with pain and getting back into competitive shape has been a struggle. "I would've made that team if not for that bad game," said Turner. You would never understand the suffering of people so long ago without the history. During the recent filming of the National Geographic Studios documentary Rise Up: The Legacy of Nat Turner, there were frequent discussions with descendants and historians about the fate of Turners remains. 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. Turner probes deep into his soul, however, to reveal other secrets. Aguirre said thats why this skull will be accorded honor and respect, no matter the outcome. Explore a billion-year-old volcanic mystery on Lake Superior, A journey of the senses through Abu Dhabi, These Lake Superior islands are no place for amateurs. Thats something I really need to do for myself.. He owned an office furniture installation business in North Carolina, moved into the tire manufacturing business,[2] and currently works in the oil refining industry in Houston, Texas. It is here that the facts surrounding Turner end and speculation and lore begin. He ordered the bar raised to 2.32 meters; 7-7. He subsequently joined the Buffalo Bills practice squad and played in one regular season game. 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. Those goals are clear. Having spent three years living in Hawaii as well as two previous jobs in Mississippi and Alabama, Vernons travels have led him on adventures far away from here. Turner has pursued business interests upon completion of his football career, taking advantage of contacts he made while in the NFL. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. After one season with Buffalo, Turner joined the Los Angeles Rams for two years, before moving on to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for two more years and rounding out his career with a final stint in Detroit. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. I didnt know why I was on this earth because of how I entered the world.. When the Yukon High product went missing in 2019, the rumors started to swirl. A small group gathered last week in a hotel suite on the outskirts of Gary, Indiana. Spectrum News 1 welcomes Meteorologist Britney Hamilton. * He received a full athletic scholarship to Carson-Newman College from 1986-1989 where I was named . "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. But its happening. "But that translated to me as he's telling me you don't have a chance. 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 . If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Hes got that confidence in himself. But there were a few players on his teamwho were getting workouts from scouts. The NFL draft came and went, but Vernon's name was never called. Still, Turner cleared 7-3 this spring and finished second last weekend at the Big 12 Indoor Championships. So it was no surprise, then, that when Turner sent an autographed copy of "The Next Level" my way, he added the following note: "Writing this book was the hardest thing I ever had to do because it forced me to re-live events in my life I had buried deep in my mind and heart for over 30 years. Limited Edition copies of "The Next Level: A Game I Had To Play" are available through his website). Berry Tramel: Berry can be reached at 405-760-8080 or at btramel@oklahoman.com. When people look at me, they see me smiling almost all the time, always with a positive attitude. A different skull, also reputed to be Nat Turners, was displayed and labeled as such at the College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio, from about 1866 until sometime in the 20th century, surviving a catastrophic fire in 1901. He concluded his career with the Frankfurt Galaxy and Scottish Claymores in NFLE. "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. All rights reserved. Alarm spread through the countryside, and the rebels lost the element of surprise. To hear Turner tell his life story is an experience in and of itself. Mostly dry and cloudy conditions with temps in the low 60s by midnight. Nat Turner organized and planned to overthrow a system that supported oppression, he said. Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. One head scratcher after another. 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. Turner fled and remained in hiding for more than two months until his discovery and capture by a local farmer. The cast is almost set. But after signing with Buffalo, he had a promise to fulfill. Turner scores a touchdown in his first literary tryout. After failing the SAT three times, Olivieri enrolled Turner in summer school at New Dorp HS, and eventually his grades were where they needed to be to move onto the next level. 2023 www.oklahoman.com. Reverend John Jackson of Trinity United Church of Christ started the prayer. 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.. These animals can sniff it out. Whats wrong with Turner? As an athlete, everyone hits their times where they might not be doing what they want to do. Covids return this winter, which caused Turner to miss multiple stretches of practice. Turner's mother Jackie finally succumbed to her addiction during his freshman year -- though football kept Vernon going and his only two goals from that point forward were to play ball and keep his family together. Our Spectrum News app is the most convenient way to get the stories that matter to you. Turner faced adversity Saturday in Birmingham. See what I mean about the mental side? Its one thing to read your life story in a book, he says, but when they reincarnate that into a movie with real people playing parts and portraying you, its surreal., Turner retired from football two decades ago, after six years in the NFL as a receiver and running back, and a short stint in NFL Europe. Her first nonfiction book, "Hail Mary: The Rise and Fall of the National Women's Football League" is available now. Rick Francis, a descendant of victims and survivors of the rebellion, is Southampton Countys clerk of the Circuit Court. "The physicality of football allowed me to get my frustrations outI played so hard I'd be too tired to be upset.". Thats not to say the past should be forgotten. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). Comparing that to DNA of descendants should be able to provide an answer, and can typically be done within months. Setting everything aside, putting myself first, has helped me accomplish the things I wanted to.. I was doing everything I could to send money back home. I dont think I ever had a fear of not getting back where I was. You see it slowly approaching and all you can do in the meantime is prepare and figure out how strong it will be once it arrives. Several versions claim that he was flayed, quartered, and decapitated before his torso was finally buried in the local paupers cemetery. All Turner has to do is sit back and watch as his inspirational true tale of how he somehow made it to the NFL and onto the Buffalo Bills is magically reinvented on the big screen for the world to see. All rights reserved. While with Tampa in 1994, Turner made history -- becoming the first Bucs player to return a punt for a touchdownagainst one of his former teams, the Lions. The Richard Porter House, where rebels found that the homes namesake had fled, was standing as late as a few years ago. But scores of enslaved and free Blacks were killed in the wake of the rebellion, some through trial and conviction, others by vigilantes, and mutilation of their bodies was not unheard of. He can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including FM-98.1. Turner broke the news to his siblings and they cried not because he had realized his goal of becoming a professional football player, but because they knew they were going to be taken care of and able to stay together. His action set off a massacre of up to 200 Black people and a new . Vernon Turner hasnt always called North Carolina home, though. "She said she would need to split the kids up and that changed everything for me," said Turner. He was on the rebound. "My self-worth was non-existent. Get hyperlocal forecasts, radar and weather alerts. I dont know if I was tired. You can contact him at benswenson@cox.net. It seems minor, but when you're launching your body over a bar that's more than a foot higher than your head, every detail is important. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. "No one will ever understand the pain and regret I have inside due to my past things that will haunt me until the day I die. Today, this is all that remains. Get up off your knees, Vernon. Discovering whether part of him still physically exists will illuminate a formative era in American history and help an expansive family find closure in an honored memorial. EXCLUSIVE: Undrafted punt returner Vernon Turner might have come into the NFL through modest auspices, but his inspiring life story will head to the screen backed by a high wattage group of producers. HTML tags allowed in your comment:

. So when Southern Mississippi's Corvell Todd cleared 7-6 (2.29 meters) on his first attempt at the height in the NCAA Indoors last Saturday in Birmingham, Alabama, and Turner missed on his first jump at 7-6, Turner said screw it. Cousins and two of Turners great-great-great-great-great-granddaughters, Shanna Batten Aguirre and Shelly Lucas Wood, took possession of the skull and turned it over to a team led by Douglas Owsley at the National Museum of Natural History for forensic analysis. Turner talked to teammates, who encouraged him to meet again with VanHootegen. In the 185 years that followed the rebellion, Turner's place in history . I dont know what it is, Turner said. "The rule was if you were late you don't play, but the coaches played me anyway," explained Turner. A DNA test will determine if this is actually the skull of the Virginia slave rebellion leader. Keep your ears open, the trumpet is his favorite! The nagging ankle injury that still hurts from time to time. He thought it was important that people would know who the skull belonged to.. Please enable JavaScript on your browser to best view this site. Turner, who has a year of eligibility remaining after this season, wants to break the 33-year-old NCAA record of 2.38 meters (7-9), set by Hollis Conway of Louisiana-Lafayette.