Landon Turner is a former basketball player from Indianapolis, Indiana. He played high school basketball for Indianapolis Arsenal Technical High School and was one of the revered big men to play under head coach Bob Knight. Turner played for the Hoosiers between 1978 and 1981. Landon Turner was involved in a basketball-ending car accident in July of 1981 when his car flipped over. The accident left Turner paralyzed from the chest down.
- Name: Landon Montel Turner
- Position: Forward
- Nationality: USA
- Age: 54 years old
- Birthday: September 30, 1960
- High School: Indianapolis Arsenal Technical High School
- Height: 6’10” (208 cm)
- Weight: 235 lbs (107 kg)
- Seasons: 3 (1978-1979, 1979-1980, 1980-1981)
- Jersey: #50 (High School) / #32 (College)
- NBA Draft: 1982 / Round 10 / #228 by the Boston Celtics
- IU Athletics Hall of Fame: 2012 Inductee
Landon Turner’s Seasons with the Hoosiers
22-12 (10-8 Big Ten)
š NIT Champions
21-8 (13-5 Big Ten)
š NCAA Sweet Sixteen
26-9 (14-4 Big Ten)
š 1981 NCAA Champions
Landon Turner Indiana University Statistics
| Season | G | GS | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | FT | FTA | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978-1979 | 33 | 13 | 594 | 77 | 142 | 0.542 | 28 | 52 | 0.538 | 112 | 9 | 15 | 9 | 58 | 76 | 182 |
| 1979-1980 | 26 | 12 | 520 | 79 | 163 | 0.485 | 34 | 48 | 0.708 | 114 | 12 | 14 | 11 | 50 | 72 | 192 |
| 1980-1981 | 33 | 18 | 693 | 138 | 246 | 0.561 | 38 | 53 | 0.717 | 122 | 26 | 15 | 18 | 66 | 91 | 314 |
| Career | 92 | 43 | 1807 | 294 | 551 | 0.534 | 100 | 153 | 0.654 | 348 | 47 | 44 | 38 | 174 | 239 | 688 |
Landon Turner’s High School Career
Turner was a star at Indianapolis Arsenal Technical High School. He was a member of the 1977 City Championship team. The next season Turner would secure many local and national honors for his play on the court. After the 1978 season, Turner won all-city, sectional, regional, and semi-state awards. He also was named to the Indiana All-Star team.
Moreover, Turner was a Parade Magazine All-American and a McDonald’s All-American.
Landon Turner’s Indiana University Career
In high school, Turner didn’t have to try very hard to score. It all came very naturally, especially considering his unique athleticism. So, Bobby Knight had a difficult motivating Turner to put forward effort on every play.
“Coach thought I could be the best player ever at IU, so when I didn’t play like it, he just went off. He tried to get me to quit. He told me Iād have a better chance of playing in the NBA than for him. I told him I wasn’t a quitter,” noted Turner.
During his Indiana University career, Turner started in 43 games out of the 92 total games that he played in. He tallied 688 points and 348 total rebounds during his time with the Hoosiers. Despite only shooting 53.8% behind the free throw line his first year, he improved to over 70% in the seasons following.
Turner’s Car Accident and Life after Basketball
After his 1980-81 breakout season, Turner’s basketball career was just taking off but, tragically, would be derailed during the summer before his senior year. On July 26, 1981, while traveling with a group of friends, Turner lost control of his vehicle causing the car to flip over. The accident left Turner paralyzed from the chest down. It was Coach Bobby Knight left with the difficult task of calling Turner’s parents and informing them of the injuries sustained.
Coach Knight began several fundraisers across the state that ended up raising over $400,000 for Turner.
“If Landon had been able to play for his senior year, he’d have been one of the top three players in the NBA draft. Here’s a kid who had a million dollars in his hands and he had to watch it float into a fire and burn up,” said Turner’s former teammate Steve Risley. “When Landon woke up after the wreck, the first thing he said was, ‘I had a nightmare.'”
