Roman Turmon

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] In 1951, 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 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.[4]

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),[5] he led the league in rebounds for two seasons: 582 in 1960–61,[6] and 538 in 1961–62.[7] The Jets were EPBL champions in 1962 and 1963.[8][9]

In 1964, Turmon was reading The New York Times when he noticed an advertisement offering Chicken Delight franchises.[10] He had been saving money from his athletic career for a future business investment and signed with Chicken Delight officials.[10] Turmon opened his first store in Harlem, New York, and broke all records for opening-day sales in the chain.[10] He and his brother-in-law opened a second store in Brooklyn.[10] Turmon grossed $35,000 a month from his business in 1966.[10] He operated the two franchises for 14 years.[3][11]

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

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