Ralph Turner - Outstanding Athletic Achievement

Mention the name Ralph Turner to anyone familiar with local track and field in the 1960’s and one common response is repeated over and over,  “That guy could run sure run.” At John Burroughs High in Burbank, Glendale College and Brigham Young University, Turner was a record setter and championship sprinter in races from 100 to 400 yards, relays as well as the long jump.

On a recent visit to Glendale College, Ralph Tuner couldn’t help but smile as he walked around the track and reminisced about the good old days of being a Vaquero. In 1963, Turner ran himself into the record books at the college by running 20.7 in the 220-yard dash to establish a school record that still stands today. By the way, he broke the record of a pretty good runner by the name of Frank Wykoff, a hall of fame inductee in 2003 and three-time Olympic Gold Medalist.

Tom McMurray, a 2008 Hall of Fame inductee and a longtime friend of Turner summed up his feelings, “Ralph Turner deserves to honored as a hall of fame inductee at Glendale College not only for his outstanding athletic achievements buts as a track coach for sending many athletes of his to the college,’’ McMurray said. “Many of those athletes were conference champs and set school records and had the type of experience that Ralph had at the college and that was his way of giving back to the school.’’

Turner came to the college after a tremendous career at Burroughs High where he earned All-American honors for the Indians in 1961 and set a slew of school records from 100 to 440 yards that he still holds as well as the long jump and the 440-yard and 880-yard relay. As well as top finishes in CIF and state competitions. Turner said that squad was one of the best in school history and his accomplishments earned him a spot in the Burroughs High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2008

He earned All-American and athlete of the year honors at Glendale College in 1963 and swept the 100 and 220 in the Western State Conference meet as well as the 4 x 440 relay team that had the fastest time in the nation that year. He also won the Southern California championship in the 220 and finished second in state in the same event.

Turner transferred to BYU and competed for the Cougars from 1964-66 and he finished his career as the school record holder in the 220 in 20.52 and he helped the 4 x 100 relay team finish second in the NCAA Championship in 40.3 as his team finished second in the NCAA Championship meet.

He later spent two years in the U.S. Army from 1966-68 and competed on its track team and tried out for the U.S. Olympic Team in 1968 in the 200 meters. He graduated from Cal State Los Angeles in 1973 with a degree in education as well as earning his teaching credential. He has been coaching for almost 40 years and is currently the sprint coach at Tehachapi High school and retired from teaching in 2002. He has also coached at Don Bosco Tech, Burroughs, South Pasadena, La Canada high and Apple Valley High’s as well as Pasadena City College. 

As impressive as his athletic achievements has been his desire to teach and coach young people and impart to them some of the wisdom he has gained over the years.