By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
One of the most highly decorated alumni of a Topeka school is now taking a place among the state’s all-time athletic greats.
Mark Turgeon, a 1983 graduate of Hayden High School, recognizes the significance of being named to the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame, which will hold its induction ceremony this Sunday in Topeka.
Former Hayden and Kansas great and longtime college coach Mark Turgeon is a member of the 2024 Kansas Sports Hall of Fame induction class. [Maryland Athletics]
He said he is excited to meet the other 11 inductees and to support the mission of the hall of fame.
“I got to know some of the people who worked with the hall of fame when I was (head basketball coach) at Wichita State, and I know how hard they worked,” Turgeon said. “I appreciate what they do to keep it up and running at a high level. It’s really important that we have it, and it’s really exciting to be a part of something bigger than yourself.”
Turgeon enters the hall of fame with a résumé that is equal parts player and coach, with entries from Kansas and other parts of the country.
He was part of a legendary Hayden basketball team that reeled off a 25-0 record en route to a Class 4A state championship. He was a floor general for highly successful teams at the University of Kansas, including the 1986 squad that advanced to the Final Four.
After his first head coaching opportunity took him to Jacksonville State for two years, Turgeon led the Wichita State program for seven seasons, guiding the Shockers to the Sweet Sixteen in 2006. He then served as head coach at Texas A&M and Maryland for a number of years before resigning in 2021.
Now Turgeon provides consulting services to college coaches and programs, travels the country visiting his adult children and plays pickle ball to satisfy his competitive spirit.
One of his greatest passions is the non-profit Leo Fund foundation, which he and his family started to generate awareness and financial resources for organizations dedicated to ending Alzheimer’s, a disease that has touched his family.
Though he has lived outside of Kansas for nearly two decades, Turgeon attests to the impact the state had on his life.
“I am very fortunate that I was born into a great family and was surrounded by great families,” Turgeon said. “Those families helped shape who I am today. My dad grew up in Kansas and he loved basketball, and he instilled that in me and my brothers and sisters. And I grew up in a state where basketball is important. I’ve been in states where basketball is not important. If I’d grown up somewhere else, I might not have turned out to be a coach or to be so passionate about basketball. So, I think the state shaped me to love it and to want to be successful.”
Turgeon called his years in Kansas the best part of his life.
“I was lucky to be part of three great programs – Hayden, KU and Wichita State – so there’s no doubt that the state really shaped who I am today,” the 59-year-old said.
The events planned by the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame for Sunday include a 5 p.m. reception, followed by the 6 p.m. induction ceremony in the Sunflower Ballroom of the Hotel Topeka City Center, 1717 Southwest Topeka Blvd.
Tickets for the reception and induction ceremony are $100 and available at www.kshof.org.
