Heidelberg Athletics Hall of Fame
Athletes who trained under Ted Turney still vividly remember how the coins would rattle when "T.R." dug into his pockets to find the money to pay the food or travel bill for his team. It was no easy task being athletic director. After all, "T.R." held the reigns to the department from 1930 until 1967, surviving The Great Depression, World War II and U.S. military actions in Korea and Vietnam.
He was truly a miracle man. No matter how tight the budget, he always seemed to be able to scratch and save to keep the athletic programs afloat in the most severe times of adversity.
When the military needed young fighting men, it was "T.R." who still managed to field competitive teams in the OAC. Turney is a 1924 graduate from Ohio Wesleyan. He is fondly remembered for his three field goals in 1922 against Denison which won the OAC crown for Wesleyan. He was elected to Wesleyan's Hall of Fame in 1960.
He earned his master's degree in sports administration from Teachers College of Columbia University in New York City.
He coached basketball, football and baseball and taught mathematics at Barberton for two years, moving to Akron North High School where he coached North to city championships in basketball and football in 1929.
A professional basketball player for five years during the late 1920s and early 1930s, Turney became Heidelberg's athletic director in 1930 succeeding Herman "Suz" Sayger.
His football and basketball teams in 1930 went undefeated in the Ohio Athletic Conference.
It was on Turney's recommendation that Paul Hoernemann was later named head football coach in 1946. Â Under Turney's leadership, intercollegiate athletics at Heidelberg grew to where the program stands today.
"T.R." retired in 1967 after 37 years of service to Heidelberg. He and his wife, Earleene, moved to California where they enjoyed retirement until Turney's death in 1979.
The award will be presented in his honor to Paul V. Brown and Mrs. Bertha Stephenson. Mrs. Stephenson will present the award to Mrs. Turney, a current resident of La Mesa, Calif.
(This profile appeared in the 1986 Hall of Fame Banquet program.)Â
