My Grandpa Worked at Cofer Brothers Forever It Seemed... People Talk About Great Men, but in My Eyes He Was the Essence of Greatness

FROM FITZGERALD FIELD AND TUCKER HIGH TO THE SUPER BOWL

Kevin Turks, former Tucker Tigers Team Captain and currently Pro Scout for the Chicago Bears, went with his team to the Super Bowl this year.

Here is Kevin Turks, in his own words:

, Kevin Turks, was born in Bavaria, East Germany, during “Imy father’s tour in the United States Army. My parents, Charles and Virginia “Gail” Turks, were high school sweethearts. I am married to Lakeisha Turks whom I met at North Carolina State University (NCSU). We are ex- pecting our ﬁ rst child, a baby girl, this summer. My grandpa worked at Cofer Brothers forever it seemed... People talk about great men, but in my eyes he was the essence of greatness.

My family has been in Tucker, Georgia as long as I can remember. I am very fortunate to still have both of my Grandmothers, Sarah Turks and Edie Mae Williams, in my life. I was also fortunate to receive nurturing from my great grandparents, William McKinley and Betsy Peters, as well. My grandpa worked at Cofer Brothers forever it seemed un- til he passed away. People talk about great men, but in my eyes he was the essence of greatness. He was a quiet man but strong and steadfast. Even though we moved around quite a bit throughout DeKalb County, my brother, Pete, and sisters, Tonya and Melody, and I spent the majority of our lives in Tucker. I can recall the days on my Grandma Edie Mae’s porch preaching into a hair brush as my micro- phone with my sister, Tonya, as my only faithful member. At an early age I was taught that being in Church was the source of my strength and being. I was actively involved in singing in the Choir, multiple Easter plays, and a mem- continued next page -18- ber of 4-H while at St. John Apostolic Holiness Church. My parents instilled in us a sense of having a strong work ethic in whatever we did whether it was chores around the house, mowing lawns, or raking leaves throughout the community (for free I might add) because they believed in the age-old adage that anything worth having, you work hard for it, and anything you do is worth doing right. I attended Smoke Rise Elementary where I had great teachers in Ms. Daniels, Ms. Middlebrooks, and Mr. Rampy and the nicest principal ever, Mrs. Ruth Fruit. I was some- what of and introvert but I was able to develop a great friend- ship and brotherhood with Rico Pearson. He and I still keep in touch. Most kids in Smoke Rise aspired to be cloggers but I enjoyed being a puppeteer and singing in the chorus. Rico and I also enjoyed creating rhythmic beats on our desks that would have our classmates rocking. In 1983 my mom got me involved with the Tucker Football League (TFL). This is when my football career began. Everyone practically in my family, especially on my father’s side, played football at Tucker. My Uncle Phillip Turks, my cousins Rodney Peters, Ricky Turks, DenNorris Heard and Tee Edwards all played football. We all took the same path as far as getting our foundation in the TFL. I did not have to look at magazines or TV to ﬁ nd idols growing up because I had these guys in my own backyard. I began playing in the instructional league for

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-19- From Fitzgerald Field..(continued from page 19) Atlanta Falcons coached by Dean Taylor. I remember my fi rst play from scrimmage as I raced up the fi eld for an 80 yard touchdown and capped it off with my own rendition of the Billy ‘Whites Shoes’ Johnson celebra- tion. Playing in the TFL was very memorable because I had the opportunity to play along side my brother, Pete Turks. Making the 115 pound traveling team, the Tucker Lions, was a great time and I can still recall some of the gridiron days played on Fitzgerald fi eld. In 1990 I attended Tucker High School and I had some great teachers in Ms. Pringley and Ms. Brown. Principal Mr. Buchannan was one the most genuine and kind persons one could ever meet. I was involved in plays, the chorus, track, and basketball in addition to playing 8th grade football. I also had the opportunity to be the ball boy for the 1991 varsity Tucker High School football team. I vividly recall the spirited battles against the most hated Lakeside and the epic battle versus Hart County which a fumble rooskie cost us from taking the next step to the Championship. I started varsity football my 10th grade year at Tucker High School playing both defensive back and receiver. I had some success at both positions. I was placed at safety, which better suited my abilities, when Coach Mike Fuller took over the reigns my Junior year.

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-20- From Fitzgerald Field...(continued from page 20)

Making team captain was an honor because I was nominated by my teammates. This nomi- nation was a very rewarding experience. I can recall during the Summer team trip and how Coach Fuller would take the whole team out to camp sites where we did quite a bit of team bonding. The highlight of the camp was our gladiators battles at night. This activity brought us closer together and it had a pro- found affect on the success we had during the season. I will always trea- sure my ability to wear the maroon and gold and to hear our fi ght song still gives me goose bumps. Our roster was fi lled with talented players such as Adaryl Jones, Der- rell Walker, Vince Griffi n, and Patrick Pass. Unfortunately, we came up short as we lost our last game against Columbia High School. That was the last time I would wear the maroon and gold. I took some offi cial college visits during my Senior year

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-22- but after visiting NCSU in Raleigh, North Carolina that is where I felt comfortable. Mike O’Cain was the Head Coach and I eventually signed my letter of intent in 1994. Going to NCSU was a big transition especially being away from home. It was also difﬁ cult not being able to play the position I played in high school as a free safety. I was moved to an outside line backer and going against guys twice my size was a big adjustment. It hurt at times seeing my family travel so far and I not receive a lot of playing time on a consistent basis. They were always supportive no matter what whether it was my mom and grandmother coming to take care of me when I was sick or my brother driving 12 hours round trip just to see me play on special teams. Help- ing my team to an improbable win against national power- house Florida State at our home ﬁ eld was one of the high- lights during my senior year. I was fortunate to be a part of and play in two bowl games. The games were NCSU vs. Mississippi State at the Georgia Dome and the other game was against the University of Miami ‘The U’at the Micron PC Bowl. The experience of these two games will last me for a lifetime. Though my career did not end on a winning note I knew that God had a bigger plan for my life. I met my wife, Lakeisha, during my sophomore year and she became one source of my strength through some trying times. I aspired to get a shot playing professionally but never got much interest from teams and I was not too fond about

continued on page 24 From Fitzgerald Field... (continued from page 23) playing in the CFL. As I look back on being away from the game, I do not miss the practices, off season programs, or lifting weights but I do miss being around my teammates. I became pretty much resigned to the fact that my playing days were drawing near and I needed to ﬁ nd my next path after graduating in the Spring of 1999. It took me some time to ﬁ gure out what I wanted to do with myself and through God’s favor I was able to get an internship with the Atlantic Coach Conference (ACC) at the Walt Disney Wide World of Sports in Orlando, Florida. Tucker High Graduation I worked on the event management side where I assisted in various events such as all AAU, pians. Some could hardly walk but you could sense their Pop Warner Football, 2000 Basketball Championships competitive drive. A former NCSU teammate talked to me in Greensboro, North Carolina and eventually coordi- about scouting opportunities while I was at Disney helping nated the 2000 racquet ball and aquatic events for the with the 2000 Gridiron Classic. I realized this was the path I 2000 Senior Games. This position allowed me to be in wanted to take at the end of my internship after talking with the company of former World Class athletes and Olym- him over the next few months about what scouting entailed. continued on page 26

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-25- From Fitzgerald Field...(continued from page 24) I felt this career path would ﬁ ll the void I was missing in my life since I was no longer playing football. I, along with a former NCSU teammate, Morocco Brown, started submitting resumes of interest to all 32 teams and through a lot of persistence I received an interview with the Green Bay Packers. Unfortunately I was not hired and became a bit discouraged over the next year. However, a door opened as Morocco accepted a position with the Wash- ington Redskins and was eventually hired by the Chicago Bears in 2001. Just as I recommended him call the ACC home ofﬁ ce during my internship and he was hired on the spot, he returned the favor. I was hired immediately as an intern for Chicago that summer. I believe God puts the right people in your life at the right time. Eventually working hard and long hours paid off—I was hired full time as a Pro Scout in 2002. To be a part of the Chicago Bear organization with so much history and tradition is truly an honor. Working for good people such as General Manager Jerry Angelo and Director of Pro Personnel Bobby DePaul made the transition easy. They gave me a ‘Harvard education’ about being a scout. A lot of people think it is just about evaluating talent, but you must know about rules and regulations, cap strate- gies, and most importantly, have good instincts. I believe Mr. Angelo says it the best, ‘Anyone can be an information next page

-26- gatherer and give their opinion on obvious good players but it takes an evaluator to assess talent and potential of players who are the unknowns and this skill set is the mark of a good scout’. My job consists of working in-house and providing advanced scouting reports to our coaches for upcoming opponents, player evaluations on Free agents, CFL and NFL Europe players. My role on the college side is limited, but I was able to gain some vast knowledge and experience as a road scout and I do attend Pro timing days on occa- sion and assists on Draft Day. We were fortunate to make it to the Super Bowl this year and I still can not believe it. The experience was remarkable from the electric return of Devin Hester on the very ﬁ rst play of the game to the half time performance by Prince. Even though the outcome did not go our way I thank God for getting us that far and I am excited about the possibly of returning in the near future. I have not been back to Tucker High School in quite a while but I still keep up with our teams through relatives, the AJC and our Tiger Football Website. Congratulations to the 2007 Boys Basket- ball Team and hopefully soon we will get over the hill to win the State Football Championship. I believe there is a divine purpose for all of us, but we must know where we want to go before we can discover how to get there. God always gives us direction—we just have to listen for it.”

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