Athlete – Basketball
Lexington native Melvin Turpin made a name for himself on the competitive courts of Bryan Station High School and the Douglass Park Dirt Bowl. A latecomer to the game of basketball, the gangly 6’11” teenager quickly developed into one of the top high school prospects in the country.
Son of the late Andrew and Louise Turpin, Mr. Turpin was mentored by Melvin Cunningham and Marvin “Stickman” Washington, who made up two-thirds of the Dirt Bowl’s braintrust, along with Herb Washington. Mr. Turpin went on to star at Bryan Station, where he was an All-State performer averaging 24 points and 15 rebounds per game starting at center. He is ranked as the 50th best high school player Kentucky has ever produced in more than 100 years of high school basketball history.
After a stellar career for the Defenders, Mr. Turpin played one year at Fork Union Military Academy in Fork Union, VA. While at FUMA, he averaged 19 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 blocked shots per game. He was named to the FUMA Hall of Fame in 2000.
Following his time at FUMA, Mr. Turpin played at the University of Kentucky from 1981-1984. He was a First-Team All-Southeastern Conference performer in 1982 and 1983, and he was a starter on UK’s 1983-84 Final Four Team. Nicknamed “The Big Dipper,” Mr. Turpin made up one half of the Wildcats’ indefensible Twin Towers, along with fellow 7-footer Sam Bowie. In 123 Games, he averaged 12.3 points and 5.9 rebounds. Mr. Turpin scored 42 points in a 65-63 loss to Tennessee in 1983, which was one of the most remarkable performances in UK basketball history.
In 1984, Mr. Turpin was the SEC scoring leader and still holds the record for the most field goals made in SEC tournament play. He is also co-holder of the record for most points scored in a single SEC tournament game. Mr. Turpin was named a consensus Second-Team All-American in 1984.
After UK, Mr. Turpin was the # 6 pick in the 1984 NBA Draft by the Washington Bullets, now named the Washington Wizards, and was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers. He also played for the Utah Jazz and internationally for Zaragoza Spain during his nine-year professional career.
Mr. Turpin died in 2010 at the age of 49.
