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. 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 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. Bruce Turner said he learned more about it from reading history books in California than he did as a boy in Southampton. Comparing that to DNA of descendants should be able to provide an answer, and can typically be done within months. 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. With no money to his name, Turner once again sought out Olivieri -- seeking help to try out for the NFL. "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. Now 51, hes a businessman and a motivational speaker. He put on fifteen pounds of muscle and dropped his 40-yard dash time down from 4.5 to 4.3. With college aspirations in mind, Turner once again enlisted the help of his mentor, Olivieri. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. 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. In many ways, Turner's life story is one of redemption. Or it may just add another wrinkle. That went okay for a while. But Blakey cautions that scientific analysis should not stand alone. When does spring start? 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. I was just here practicing, he said with a glance around OUs indoor track. Only two men in the world this indoor season have gone so high. I just didnt know how long it would take.. He was unable to attend his induction in 2001. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. [1] Among those killed were Hayes and Mary Turner. 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. Spectrum News 1 officially welcomed its newest member of the Weather on the 1s team Friday morning. Our Spectrum News app is the most convenient way to get the stories that matter to you. But deep inside he felt that Turners remains should be reunited with his descendants. [2] Growing up in difficult circumstances, he moved from the slum area in Brooklyn to the quiet neighborhood of Sunnyside on Staten Island while a young child. "The physicality of football allowed me to get my frustrations outI played so hard I'd be too tired to be upset.". Today, this is all that remains. "I knew I had limited time, so I had to make something happen fast," he added. 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. Because I'm you, from the future. After Turners death,local doctors mutilated his corpse. Aguirre, the Turner descendant from Washington, expressed strong interest in contacting Hatcher to see if hed be amenable to returning the skull to Virginia for a proper burial. He shaved his 40-yard dash time from 4.54 to 4.37 -- and NFL teams took notice. 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. 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 football that took him from Curtis High School to Carson-Newman (Tenn.) College to an improbable NFL career with four different teams. 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. Hed keep the family together. Decades ago in Southampton, few people brought up the insurrection in racially mixed company. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. I need you to listen to me and if there is anyone in this world you should listen to, it's me. He felt he was being pushed away from classes he wanted to take, and being interested in sciences, he didn't feel comfortable with that. Turner wasnt on the active roster for Super Bowl 25 he and two other players were vying for an additional receiver spot but he didnt get it. 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 produce Less than two weeks away from the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, Turner is still working to re-establish himself. Alarm spread through the countryside, and the rebels lost the element of surprise. The Denver Broncos picked up the phone, and Turner was heading to Colorado to join the likes of John Elway and Shannon Sharpe. Hes humble from the get, saying he had no business ever playing in the NFL at all because it wasnt talent that got him there. 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. [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. He called his high school coach and said he was turning pro. My father typed a letter that he kept in the box with the relic just in case anything unexpected happened to our family. 'It was a great move':How risky strategy propelled Oklahoma State's Taylor Roe to national title. With objective measures of skeletal remains, its possible to estimate the age of an adult within about 10 years, he said. Turner was named an Advance All Star in 1984 and '85, and took home Fugazzi and Fabbri awards during his senior year. In the 185 years that followed the rebellion, Turner's place in history . 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. I dont think my goals ever wandered, Turner said. He has been credited as a progenitor of jump blues and of early rock and roll. In 1995, Turner split time with the Carolina Panthers and Detroit Lions. Lyndsey D'Arcangelo writes about women's college basketball and the WNBA for The Athletic and Just Women's Sports. She is quick to point out that she does not speak for all of Turners descendants who, seven generations on, are numerous. I had to convince my aunt to move into our house while I was away at [Carson-Newman] college. Heres why each season begins twice. They had a higher expectation of themselves than what their coaches had.. Several versions claim that he was flayed, quartered, and decapitated before his torso was finally buried in the local paupers cemetery. So when Southern Mississippis 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. 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. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Turner speaks glowingly of his relationship with a few of his NFL coaches, including Marv Levy, John Robinson and Sam Wyche. While in Tampa, Turner became the first player to return a kick or punt for a touchdown in franchise history, forever cementing himself in the NFL record book. "I told him when I turn pro I'm going to buy you a car. His numerous descendants have fanned out from a rural pocket of Tidewater. anthony apocalypse costume; mark dellagrotte record; shohreh aghdashloo ever after; wendy's employment verification; is it haram to wear shorts to sleep That night, he unveiled what would be the museums centerpiece: the skull of Nat Turner. "He went to Florida." "He turned pro." "He's done." Every time the high jumper has gone to a meet this season, he has heard another tale about his supposed whereabouts last season. "Even with all the accomplishments, I didn't take compliments wellI was trained that way by Coach Olivieri," said Turner. Bruce Turner said many people sympathized with his ancestors motivations. Turner pours out the rest early in the book: He lost his mother during his freshman year in high school and his Italian stepfather, Sam, while in college. How a zoo break-in changed the life of an owl called Flaco, Naked mole rats are fertile until they die, study finds. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. OU baseball rewind:David Sandlin's 'outstanding' outing highlights bounce-back week for Sooners. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Aguirre, Nat Turners fifth-great-granddaughter, said that examining history, uncomfortable as it may be, serves the common good. 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. However, after years spent chasing storms across the South, this NC State alum joined the Spectrum News team, chasing the opportunity to finally return to North Carolina. I dont know necessarily how its going to be once I really get back into it, but it doesnt feel normal yet.. I wouldnt put anything past him, Langford said. Then going into my senior year, my aunt called and said she couldnt take care of my brothers and sisters anymore. The top three jumps at the 2016 Olympic Trials were 7-6, 7-4 3/4 and 7-3. Bruce Turner, a Virginia Beach resident and a great-great-great-great-grandson of Nat Turner, is not convinced its his. "I went to the bathroom and just paced back and forth clapping my hands because I was able to keep my family together," remembered Turner. "I witnessed one of the best players on the planet and I wanted to be just like him. The museum declined the donation on the grounds that it doesnt display human remains. He thought it was important that people would know who the skull belonged to.. He'll be at Jody's Pub on Forest Avenue on May 13 and the Wild Goose on Forest Avenue on May 14. Dealing with pain and getting back into competitive shape has been a struggle. For those of us who remember him, it comes as no surprise that life's bumps and bruises have not deterred him. 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. Some remember him as a fanatical killer, others as a freedom fighter inspired by his faith. She, Vernon and, by then, his little brother moved to the man's Staten Island home. California Consumer Limit the Use of My Sensitive Personal Information, California Consumer Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. A goal is to have an accompanying interactive smartphone app to assist where the history has been erased. And one day, sitting in his dorm room with his head hung low, Turner looked up at the television. ", Most of all, Turner wants to represent his three children - Ashley (30), Darris (29), and Liam (5) - the "right way. 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. Turner acknowledges the past year has been tough. Obviously if we are able to determine that it is the skull of our ancestor that would be tremendously important on a spiritual and emotional level for the family.. The cultural and historical documentation, even if its oral, is likely to be qualitatively more reliable than genetics, he said. I was five-foot-nine. 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. Turner has participated in two Olympic Trials and no-heighted both times. e. On May 16, 1918, a plantation owner was murdered, prompting a manhunt which resulted in a series of lynchings in May 1918 in southern Georgia, United States. At 5-foot-8, 180 pounds, Turner was severely undersized, but he posted solid preseason numbersup until the final game. While Vernon began working for Spectrum News in 2018, his passion for weather coverage began long before that. Like her at facebook.com/JenniCarlsonOK or follow her at twitter.com/jennicarlson_ok. OU vs. IUPUI women's basketball:Five things to know about the Sooners' first-round opponent, I had a lot going on outside track, Turner said. I've been through a lot. Cant seem to pull it together at the Trials. Nat Turner organized and planned to overthrow a system that supported oppression, he said. MOUNT VERNON Herman Turner is still seeking answers, and justice, after his wife, Raynette Turner, was found dead in a police holding cell. An article from April 1920 in The Journal of Negro History, an academic publication, claims that Turners skull graces the collection of a physician in the city of Norfolk., It wasnt just Turners skull that numerous people claimed ownership of in the decades after his execution. Multiple sources say his head was separated from the rest of his body, which was skinned. The skull has been in the museums custody for more than 4 years. "People look at me like this guy is full of crap, they don't believe it all happened to me," he said. 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. Who created it? His flesh was made into grease, according to The Southampton Insurrection, by William Drewry, a Southampton native who interviewed more than 80 white and Black residents for that 1900 volume. In 1831, after receiving what he believed to be prophecies from God, Nat Turner led the bloodiest slave revolt in American history. NORMAN Vernon Turner has heard all the rumors that floated around about him. 2023 www.oklahoman.com. "My self-worth was non-existent. You either run fast enough or you dont. But Shatsky called Turner and told him not to unpack, because he was heading to Buffalo to be on their practice squad instead. 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. After going unselected in the 1990 NFL Draft, Turner signed as a free agent with the Denver Broncos, but did not make the team. 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. Nat Turner. What is wind chill, and how does it affect your body? While he was receiving some college offers to play wide receiver, Vernon was insistent on returning to running back -- where he was drastically undersized. Turner scores a touchdown in his first literary tryout. Turner still isnt pain free but says the pain is much more manageable. But 6'6 not bad at all you kidding me! 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. 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. "I was an "oh yeah?" "I decided right then and there that I wanted to play professional football," recalled Turner. Though he grew up a boxing fan and often boxed his friends in makeshift rings, by the time he was 11 he was a full-fledged Pop Warner football player -- thanks to his mom, and stepdad, who Vernon affectionately refers to as just "dad" these days. "The rule was if you were late you don't play, but the coaches played me anyway," explained 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. 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. 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. 2023, Charter Communications, all rights reserved. Langley recruited Turner out of Yukon and stayed with the program even after a head-coaching change, which helped persuade Turner to return to Norman. OU coach Tim Langford and Turner himself credited Sooner vertical jumps coach Jerel Langley for his long work with Turner. [6] He scored his first six points on an 80-yards run in the game's first play from scrimmage. 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. Its possible to retrieve genetic material from protein that could still exist in an old skull, such as in the dentin of a tooth. But once I decided to turn pro and I knew what the odds were against me making it, I went into training mode.. 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. One head scratcher after another. "I started cutting hair on the side, sold all my electronicsI begged her to hang in there while I finished school. Wouldnt surprise me if you saw 7-10 come out of him.. Fought off a malaise. But Shatsky called Turner and. 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. He fathered two children, a daughter and son, out of wedlock while a college student in Tennessee and only recently did he meet his son, Darris, who tracked his father down through Facebook. Named an Advance all Star in 1984 and '85, and can typically be done within months and women. The common good the rebels lost the element of surprise three jumps the... Sympathized with his descendants in 1831, after receiving what he believed to be prophecies from God, Nat fifth-great-granddaughter! Take it halfway or lose his job to Colorado to join the likes of Elway! To point out that she does not speak for all of Turners descendants who, seven generations on, numerous! For me Athletic and just women 's Sports to try out for the.. 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