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Thursday, November 1, 2007
Where Are They Now?
Fort Worth, TX
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It’s not exactly home on the range, but former Arlington Heights star Turner Gill has found his calling where the Bulls roam in Buffalo.
Buffalo is a long way from Fort Worth. Then again so is Lincoln, Nebraska. Those two places have been major stops in the flight plan of life for former Arlington Heights standout Turner Gill, with the former location being his current residence. Gill took over the reigns of a fledgling University of Buffalo football program in December 2005, and is hoping to horn in on even a portion of the success he found as a player and assistant coach.
Gill was a two-sport star at Heights some two decades ago, playing both football and baseball. He was recruited by the University of Nebraska to play both sports, but it was football that made Gill a household name. He led the Cornhuskers to a 28-2 record as the starting quarterback from 1981-1983, and as a senior finished fourth in voting for the Heisman Trophy.
Following two seasons in the Canadian Football League and three seasons playing minor league baseball, Gill returned to Nebraska to serve as a graduate assistant coach. A year later, Gill was back in Texas.
“After playing baseball, we decided to let my wife, Gayle, choose where she wanted to get her master’s degree in clinical psychology,” Gill explained. “That is why we went to the University of North Texas.”
While at UNT, Gill earned his bachelor’s degree in behavior analysis. By 1992, he was back at the University of Nebraska, where he was asked to coach the quarterbacks under legendary head coach Tom Osbourne. Gill’s time as a volunteer assistant helped him realize coaching is where he wanted to be.
As an assistant at Nebraska from 1992-2003, Gill coached a Heisman Trophy winner in Eric Crouch and was part of three national championship teams.
The Green Bay Packers hired Gill in 2005 to serve as Player Development Director, but he was barely comfortable in his office before the University of Buffalo made him an offer he couldn’t refuse.
“The Lord Jesus Christ called our family to come here,” Gill said of his decision to move to Buffalo and take over a program that had won only 12 games since jumping to Division I in 1999. “That and because our vision was similar to that of UB President John Simspon and Athletic Director Warde Manuel.”
Now in his second season as the Bulls’ head coach, Gill wouldn’t change a thing about how his life has played out. He is happily married with two daughters, 16-year-old Jordan and 12-year-old Margaux. He returns to Fort Worth about once a year to see his parents and sisters that still live here. As for a permanent return, Gill predicted, “If it is the Lord Jesus Christ’s plan, then yes, we will return. Until then, we’ll have to wait and see.”
Having now been on both sides of the recruiting process, Gill has some advice for high school athletes trying to decide where to play at the next level.
“Building relationships with coaches is the most important aspect of deciding what school is the best fit for you,” he said. “Trust your instincts and ask lots of questions on topics that are most important to you.”
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