As a member of the interview committee tasked with finding Maine South’s new athletic director, Hawks senior Cassie Anderson said she could tell Andy Turner was the perfect person for the job.
“He always made eye contact, and he was very easy to talk to,” said Anderson, a four-year, three-sport athlete. “He seemed very relatable and very approachable.”
Turner’s hiring was announced on Monday, Jan. 11, at the District 207 board meeting. The 52-year-old Turner, the current athletic director at Normal, is scheduled to start Aug. 1. He will replace the retiring Steve Adams.
Maine South principal Shawn Messmer cited Turner’s extensive administrative experience and his interpersonal skills as strengths. Turner was the athletic director at Rochester from 1999-2002 before taking the same position at Normal in 2005.
“It became clear throughout the interview process, and through conversations with those who know [him], that he is a man of great integrity, who is student-centered and is firm and fair with those who are in his program,” Messmer said. “His emphasis of operating as a team in all aspects of school affairs is central to his philosophy.”
Turner said he looks forward to joining Maine South, and working with colleagues in the athletic department to help student-athletes.
“I want to make sure the purity of interscholastic sports stays in place,” he said. “That’s a high priority for me. I want our coaches to be able to provide lifelong experiences for the student-athletes. If we can do that, the successes will take care of itself.”
There were 61 applicants for the position, according to Messmer. After two rounds of interviews, three finalists were chosen for a final interview, which was conducted by administrators, staff, one student and one parent.
In his 11 school years at Normal, Turner said his biggest accomplishment has been establishing open relationships between the administration, coaches and student-athletes.
After spending more than a decade with Turner, Normal football coach Wes Temples testified to that. He said his boss is an “unbelievable communicator.”
“You can always go and talk to him about anything, and he’s willing to lend his support,” Temples said. “He was a coach first, so he’s been there. He understands, he listens. He’s willing to do anything to help.”
Temples also said he appreciated Turner’s presence at the athletic events.
“First day of football practice, and he’s out there at 6 a.m. making sure things are going well,” Temples said. “He handles all the sports like that. After school ends Friday, he doesn’t leave. He doesn’t miss a thing.”
A native of Williamsburg, Iowa, Turner started his teaching and coaching career in Missouri before moving to Illinois. His first varsity job was as the baseball coach at Normal West, where he led the Wildcats to Class AA regional titles in 1998 and 1999.
Turner then accepted his first athletic director job at Rochester. From there, Turner went back to the Bloomington-Normal area, this time taking the varsity baseball job at Normal. The Ironmen reached the Class AA state tournament in 2004.
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In 2005, Turner was hired as the school’s athletic director. He was named the Illinois Athletic Directors Association’s Division 5 Athletic Director of the Year in 2008. In Turner’s 11 years, Normal won a Class 6A football state title in 2006 and a Class AA softball state title in 2007.
“Our biggest accomplishment [at Normal] has been the relationships between the coaching staffs and the student-athletes, and how we work together,” Turner said. “We’ve had quite a bit of success on the athletic fields, but I am most proud of how the student-athletes have developed as people.”
Twitter: @harnesspreps