John Iglehart Turnbull (June 30, 1910 – October 20, 1944) was an American
lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensiv ...
player and 1965 inductee into the
National Lacrosse Hall of Fame
The National Lacrosse Hall of Fame and Museum, is located in Sparks, Maryland at the USA Lacrosse headquarters. Prior to moving to its present location in 2016, the hall of fame and museum was located in Baltimore, Maryland, on the Homewood camp ...
. He lends his name to the
Jack Turnbull Award The "Lt. Col. J. I. Turnbull Award"''Go to' (box title is "2009 USILA Coaches of the Year Announced") ''and then scroll down'' to the lower box, entitled "2009 USILA Special Awards". The fourth regular award listed is: "Lt. Col. J. I. Turnbull Award ...
, given to the nation's best collegiate attackman.
Biography
Jack Turnbull was born on June 30, 1910, in
Baltimore
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
,
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
. He attended
Baltimore Polytechnic Institute
The Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, colloquially referred to as BPI, Poly, and The Institute, is a U.S. public high school founded in 1883. Established as an all-male manual trade / vocational school by the Baltimore City Council and the Balti ...
(Poly), where he was class president his senior year. He was the captain of Poly's 1926
lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensiv ...
team and played on the
football and
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
teams as well. At the age of 18, he performed at the playoffs for the 1928 Olympic games.
Turnbull attended
Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hemisphere. It consi ...
, where he played on the 1932 team. He graduated from Hopkins with a bachelor's degree in engineering after only three years. Turnbull was named an All-American each of his 3 years on the
Johns Hopkins Blue Jays men's lacrosse
The Johns Hopkins Blue Jays men's lacrosse team represents Johns Hopkins University in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college lacrosse.
Since 2015, the Blue Jays have represented the Big Ten Conference.
Overview
The ...
team and is widely regarded as one of the best to ever play the game.
At Hopkins, Turnbull also played football and helped establish an ice hockey team.
[
He was captain of the U.S. lacrosse team during the 1932 Summer Olympics and remained active in sports as a member of the Mount Washington Lacrosse Club. Four years later, he was a member of the U.S. field hockey team at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, during which he met Adolf Hitler.]
Turnbull enlisted in the Maryland National Guard
The Maryland Military Department (MMD) is a department of the State of Maryland directed by the adjutant general of Maryland.
The Maryland Military Department consists of the:
*State Operations section, which manages fiscal and administrative du ...
as an aviation cadet and was commissioned as a second lieutenant on June 24, 1940. He was mobilized along with the rest of the Maryland National Guard
The Maryland Military Department (MMD) is a department of the State of Maryland directed by the adjutant general of Maryland.
The Maryland Military Department consists of the:
*State Operations section, which manages fiscal and administrative du ...
in February 1941, just prior to the U.S. entry into World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
. During the war he quickly rose in rank, and by 1944 he was a lieutenant colonel. On October 20, 1944 he died of injuries sustained two days earlier, when his B-24
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models des ...
crashed in Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
after a mid-air collision while returning from a bombing run over Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
.
* Stats are incomplete
See also
*National Lacrosse Hall of Fame
The National Lacrosse Hall of Fame and Museum, is located in Sparks, Maryland at the USA Lacrosse headquarters. Prior to moving to its present location in 2016, the hall of fame and museum was located in Baltimore, Maryland, on the Homewood camp ...
*Johns Hopkins Blue Jays men's lacrosse
The Johns Hopkins Blue Jays men's lacrosse team represents Johns Hopkins University in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college lacrosse.
Since 2015, the Blue Jays have represented the Big Ten Conference.
Overview
The ...
References
External links
*
Lacrosse Hall of Fame Bio
Maryland Military Historical Society
Article about World War II service
High Resolution Photo of Jack Turnbull
USILA 1930 Men’s All-Americans
USILA 1931 Men’s All-Americans
USILA 1932 Men’s All-Americans
{{DEFAULTSORT:Turnbull, Jack
1910 births
1944 deaths
Johns Hopkins Blue Jays men's lacrosse players
Lacrosse players from Baltimore
Players of American football from Baltimore
Military personnel from Baltimore
Baltimore Polytechnic Institute alumni
20th-century American engineers
Olympic lacrosse players for the United States
Lacrosse players at the 1932 Summer Olympics
Mount Washington Lacrosse Club players
Johns Hopkins Blue Jays football players
United States Army Air Forces personnel killed in World War II
National Guard (United States) officers
United States Army Air Forces colonels
Olympic field hockey players for the United States
Field hockey players at the 1936 Summer Olympics
Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in Belgium
Aviators killed by being shot down
Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1944
Maryland National Guard personnel
Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Belgium