On a June telephone call from one of the world’s more famous vacation destinations, New Hampstead High School graduate Calvin Turner Jr. talked about working, not relaxing.
“I’ve just been working out, training and keeping myself and my body in shape for the season coming up,” the former Jacksonville University transfer and now rising senior at Hawaii said from Honolulu.
“It’s beautiful weather here, but right now it’s just work, mostly.”
Turner was electric as a junior quarterback for the JU Dolphins during the school’s final season of fielding a football program in 2019.
He was an All-Pioneer Football League first team unanimous selection (All-Purpose Back) while leading JU in rushing for a second straight season. In total 
for 2019, he racked up 1,355 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns while adding 794 yards and six scores through the passing game.
The announcement from Jacksonville making official the termination of football came as a surprise to Turner and all of his teammates at the Division II school in North Florida.
“It was sad for not only me but for our entire team,” he recalled. “Just because our last game (in 2019)… we didn’t know that was going to be our last game together. So that hurt.
“We were shocked because it was just out of nowhere. A very sad moment, but we stuck together throughout the process.”
Now entering his final collegiate season, Turner says he’ll play slot-back and receiver for the Warriors in 2020. He has found a new home on the island, and he’ll have his sights set on helping his new team to win a conference title before hopefully trying his hand at the professional level.
“I just want to be the best teammate I can be and help the University of Hawaii win a Mountain West (Conference) Championship and then our bowl game,” Turner said.
“And then I want to play at the next level. That’s the ultimate goal at the end of the day, so that’s what I’m going to do.”
picture credits - [JU DOLPHINS]
