Hall of Fame
Tennis is one of the few sports that athletes are not given a number to wear on the front of their uniforms. If numbers were to be assigned to tennis players, there is only one number that would fit Jon Turbett - number one. Turbett, a four-year letterwinner for the Kohawks, played every #1 singles and every #1 double match during his four-year span as a Kohawk. He still owns two records in the books at Coe, but at one point in time, he owned every Kohawk men's tennis record. Turbett's 30 doubles wins in 1996 with Rajesh Venkatraman still stands as a school record. With their style of play, the duo earned the nicknames of "Turbo" and "Ice" during the season. During his senior campaign, he compiled 25 singles victories, which ranks ninth most in school history. His 55 combined wins that season still stand as the second most all-time. Although some of his school records have been broken, Turbett still holds many distinctions that made him a legend in the Kohawk Tennis program. Turbett holds the title of four-time Midwest Conference Flight One Singles Champion. He is the only person in the history of Coe men's tennis to accomplish that feat. Along with four single's championships, he also teamed with Venkatraman to win two Midwest Conference Flight One Doubles Championships. While teaming with Venkatraman his junior and senior seasons, they combined for a 52-8 record as doubles partners, including two trips to the NCAA Tournament. Not only was he winning himself Midwest Conference singles and doubles championships, but he also led his team to three Midwest Conference team championships. His sophomore year the Kohawks finished second to Ripon, losing the match by a score of 5-4. While Turbett's accomplishments on the court also include six total trips to the NCAA Tournament, three in singles and three in doubles, his accomplishments in the classroom can't be overshadowed. He was named to the Midwest Conference Academic All-Conference team three times, the most any athlete can accomplish. His academic honors reached their peak following his senior year as he was named to the GTE Academic All-American team. Following his senior year of competition, Turbett became the first men's tennis player to be honored as the Barron Bremner Outstanding Athlete of the Year. He was the first of four men's tennis players to earn this honor. Tonight, for his outstanding contributions to Coe College athletics, I am privileged to welcome Jon Turbett to the Athletic Hall of Fame.
