James Bayard Turner (March 28, 1941 – June 10, 2023) was an American professional football player who was a placekicker in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL) for the New York Jets and the Denver Broncos. He was a two-time Pro Bowl selection with the Jets and a member of their Super Bowl III championship team. Turner was chosen for the AFL All-Time Second-team and the Denver Broncos Ring of Fame.
No. 11, 15 | |||||||
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Position: | Placekicker | ||||||
Personal information | |||||||
Born: | Crockett, California, U.S. | March 28, 1941||||||
Died: | June 10, 2023 Arvada, Colorado, U.S. | (aged 82)||||||
Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||
Weight: | 205 lb (93 kg) | ||||||
Career information | |||||||
High school: | John Swett (Crockett) | ||||||
College: | Utah State | ||||||
NFL draft: | 1963 / Round: 19 / Pick: 259 | ||||||
Career history | |||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||
Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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Player stats at NFL.com · PFR |
Turner was born and raised in Crockett, California.[1][2] He graduated from John Swett High School in 1959. He played for the football team as a quarterback and was also a freestyle swimmer.[2] Turner attended Utah State University, where he played college football for the Utah State Aggies as both a quarterback and placekicker.[3]
The Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL) selected Turner in the 19th round of the 1963 NFL Draft.[4] He signed with the Redskins,[5] but failed a tryout with the Redskins and was released. Turner signed with the New York Jets of the American Football League (AFL) as a free agent in 1964.[6] He set then-league records with single-season totals of 145 points and 34 field goals in 1968.[1][7][8] Turner kicked for nine points, making two of three field goals, in the AFL Championship Game win over the Oakland Raiders.[9][10] He had 10 points in the Jets' 16–7 defeat of the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III.[11][12] He was named to the Pro Bowl in 1968 and 1969.[13]
Following the 1970 season the Jets traded Turner to the Denver Broncos for Bobby Howfield.[8] He scored four points in the Broncos' losing effort in Super Bowl XII against the Dallas Cowboys, connecting on a 47-yard field goal and an extra point following a touchdown run by Rob Lytle.[14][15]
Turner finished his career with 304 of 488 (62%) field goals and 521 of 534 extra points, giving him 1,439 total points.[13] Upon his retirement, he ranked second in field goals in NFL history, with only a fellow AFL veteran in George Blanda having more; Turner now ranks in the top 35 for kickers four decades after his career ended. [16][17] He did not miss a game, playing in 228 consecutive contests.[11] His single-season scoring record was broken by Mark Moseley in 1983, and Ali Haji-Sheikh broke Turner's field goal record the same season.[1] He was inducted into the Denver Broncos Ring of Fame in 1988[18] and the Utah State University Athletics Hall of Fame in 2013.[3]
Legend | |
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Won the Super Bowl | |
Led the league | |
Bold | Career high |
Year | Team | GP | Field Goals | Extra Points | Points | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
FGA | FGM | Lng | Pct | XPA | XPM | Pct | ||||
1964 | NYJ | 14 | 27 | 13 | 50 | 48.1 | 33 | 33 | 100.0 | 72 |
1965 | NYJ | 14 | 34 | 20 | 49 | 58.8 | 31 | 31 | 100.0 | 91 |
1966 | NYJ | 14 | 35 | 18 | 45 | 51.4 | 35 | 34 | 97.1 | 88 |
1967 | NYJ | 14 | 32 | 17 | 48 | 53.1 | 39 | 36 | 92.3 | 87 |
1968 | NYJ | 14 | 46 | 34 | 49 | 73.9 | 43 | 43 | 100.0 | 145 |
1969 | NYJ | 14 | 47 | 32 | 50 | 68.1 | 33 | 33 | 100.0 | 129 |
1970 | NYJ | 14 | 35 | 19 | 42 | 54.3 | 28 | 28 | 100.0 | 85 |
1971 | DEN | 14 | 38 | 25 | 49 | 65.8 | 18 | 18 | 100.0 | 93 |
1972 | DEN | 14 | 29 | 20 | 49 | 69.0 | 37 | 37 | 100.0 | 97 |
1973 | DEN | 14 | 33 | 22 | 50 | 66.7 | 40 | 40 | 100.0 | 106 |
1974 | DEN | 14 | 21 | 11 | 43 | 52.4 | 38 | 35 | 92.1 | 68 |
1975 | DEN | 14 | 28 | 21 | 53 | 75.0 | 26 | 23 | 88.5 | 86 |
1976 | DEN | 14 | 21 | 15 | 47 | 71.4 | 39 | 36 | 92.3 | 81 |
1977 | DEN | 14 | 19 | 13 | 48 | 68.4 | 34 | 31 | 91.2 | 70 |
1978 | DEN | 16 | 22 | 11 | 45 | 50.0 | 35 | 31 | 88.6 | 64 |
1979 | DEN | 16 | 21 | 13 | 49 | 61.9 | 34 | 32 | 94.1 | 71 |
Career | 228 | 488 | 304 | 53 | 62.3 | 543 | 521 | 95.9 | 1,433 |
Year | Team | GP | Field Goals | Extra Points | Points | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
FGA | FGM | Pct | XPA | XPM | Pct | ||||
1968 | NYJ | 2 | 8 | 5 | 62.5 | 4 | 4 | 100.0 | 19 |
1969 | NYJ | 1 | 2 | 2 | 100.0 | – | – | – | 6 |
1977 | DEN | 3 | 6 | 3 | 50.0 | 7 | 7 | 100.0 | 16 |
1978 | DEN | 1 | 2 | 1 | 50.0 | 1 | 1 | 100.0 | 4 |
1979 | DEN | 1 | – | – | – | 1 | 1 | 100.0 | 1 |
Career | 8 | 18 | 11 | 61.1 | 13 | 13 | 100.0 | 46 |
In 1981, Turner joined NBC Sports as a color commentary sportscaster.[19]
Turner's wife, Mary Kay, is from El Sobrante, California.[2] They had three daughters and lived in Arvada, Colorado.[17]
Turner died in Arvada, Colorado from heart failure on June 10, 2023, at the age of 82.[20][21]