Kevin Turner Honored At Prattville High School’s Home Opener
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Prattville High School honored one of their own during tonight’s game. Kevin Turner, who was diagnosed with ALS in 2010, helped the Lions win a championship back in 1984 and continues to inspire and help others today.
It was a packed house at Stanley Jensen Stadium for Prattville High School’s home opener. And it wasn’t just the football team that drew the crowd, Kevin Turner was the man of the night.
Members of Prattville High School’s 1984 state championship team reunited Friday night, 30 years after their winning season.
“It’s awesome,” says Len Borowski, who played center for the team in 1984. “I didn’t know we could get this old…or large.”
The school honored the football champs during pregame festivities and retired star fullback Kevin Turner’s jersey. After helping the Prattville Lions win a state championship, Turner went on the play for Alabama before landing in the NFL. But after he retired from football, he was diagnosed with ALS in 2010. He’s been helping to spread awareness for the disease ever since.
“Kevin was always that type of guy anyway,” says Sam Goodson, former cornerback. “When we played football back then, he was the pick up guy. His spirit was always the same, he always remained the same no matter what is that we did.”
The Prattville Student Government Association presented Turner with a check worth more than four thousand dollars to go to his non-profit organization. The funds came from students and others who completed the Ice Bucket Challenge. Turner’s father tells us it’s money that’s needed to find a cure.
“Kinda like cancer, people had to be aware of what was going on before they would get out and raise money,” he says. “And let’s face it, the only way you can beat anything like this is with money.”
Turner moves slower and his speech has become slurred but his teammates tell us he’s a fighter.
“You know the challenges that he has now, we’re right there with him and he’s in our prayers,” says former teammate Anthony Bishop. “So he’s definitely an inspiration, not just for us but for these guys out here.”
To date, the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge has raised more than 114 million dollars for ALS research.
If you would like to donate or learn more about Kevin Turner and ALS, visit this wesbite KEVINTURNERFOUNDATION.ORG
