Roman Turmon

Roman "Doc" Turmon (March 14, 1933 – June 9, 2001) was an American professional basketball player.

Roman Turmon

Turmon with the Harlem Globetrotters in 1959
Personal information
Born	(1933-03-14)March 14, 1933 Shady Dale, Georgia, U.S.
Died	June 9, 2001(2001-06-09) (aged 68) Manhattan, New York, U.S.
Listed height	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Career information
High school	Thomaston Training (Thomaston, Georgia)
College	Clark Atlanta (1950–1954)
NBA draft	1954: undrafted
Playing career	1959–1964
Position	Forward
Career history
1959–1964	Allentown Jets
Career highlights
2× EPBL champion (1962, 1963) EPBL Most Valuable Player (1962) 3× All-EPBL First Team (1961–1963) All-EPBL Second Team (1964)

High school and college career

Turmon was born on March 14, 1933,^[1] and was a native of Shady Dale, Georgia.^[2] He was a three-time all-state selection in basketball and football while he attended Thomaston Training School in Thomaston, Georgia.^[3] Turmon became the first athlete to receive a full scholarship to Clark College (now Clark Atlanta University).^[3] He was named all-conference in basketball, football and track and field specializing in shot put while at Clark.^[3] Turmon led the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) tournament in scoring as a freshman in 1951.^[4] He helped lead the basketball team to the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) championship in 1954.^[3] His 21.9 rebounds per game is the eighth highest career total in NCAA Division II history.^[5]

Playing career

Turmon played for the Harlem Globetrotters and was named the team's most valuable player in 1958.^[3] He joined the Allentown Jets of the Eastern Professional Basketball League (EPBL) in 1959 and played with the team for five seasons.^[1] Turmon was named the EPBL Most Valuable Player in 1962 and earned four consecutive All-EPBL team appearances.^[1] Despite standing at only 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m),^[6] he led the league in rebounds for two seasons: 582 in 1960–61,^[7] and 538 in 1961–62.^[8] The Jets were EPBL champions in 1962 and 1963.^[9][10]

Later life

In 1964, Turmon was reading The New York Times when he noticed an advertisement offering Chicken Delight franchises.^[11] He had been saving money from his athletic career for a future business investment and signed with Chicken Delight officials.^[11] Turmon opened his first store in Harlem, New York, and broke all records for opening-day sales in the chain.^[11] He and his brother-in-law opened a second store in Brooklyn.^[11] Turmon grossed $35,000 a month from his business in 1966.^[11] He operated the two franchises for 14 years.^[3][12]

Turmon died on June 9, 2001, in Manhattan, New York.^[2]

Turmon was inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 2009.^[3]