2021 IATO Hall of Fame
There is no written rule that says you had to have been a good athlete to become a good official. Don’t get me wrong, having been an athlete in the sport in which you are officiating will be a benefit in understanding some of the nuances of that sport, but having outstanding mentors along the way is really your ticket to success as an official.
No one knows that better than our first IATO Hall of Fame inductee, Jon Turner of Des Moines. Jon’s Grandparents, Marguerite and Jimmy Muto were PE teachers in the Des Moines school system and not only were their students selected to participate in the Drake Relays, plus his Grandfather was a long time Relays official and owns a spot on the Officials Wall of Honor.
Jon’s father George, was co-owner of Vic Young Sporting Goods and a longtime figure at the I-G-H-S-A-U. Vic Young’s was a track and field mecca of sorts during Relays week, as athletes and coaches would show up to purchase shoes and spikes needed for a successful weekend at the Drake Stadium.
Young Jon Turner soaked all this in. He attended every girl’s state championship event while growing up/tagging along, learning the ropes, and serving the sport.
Around, 1990 Relays Throws Chief Scott McAdam showed trust in a greenhorn official, and Jon became the assistant to long time Drake Weights and Measures Official, Earl Shostrom.
The experience gained doing Weights and Measures at America’s Athletic Classic have given Turner the credibility and experience necessary to take his talents on the road as well. He has worked several USATF championships, NCAA regional and national championship meets, many conference championships and 3 Olympic Trials. In fact, at the 2021 Trials in Eugene this past June, Jon was the implement inspector/which meant he was ringside when Drake Relays favorite Ryan Crouser not only had the best series of throws known to man, he also broke Randy Barnes’ longstanding World Record, with a monster put of 76-8 ¼ and Jon Turner of Des Moines, Iowa was there to certify it. An implement inspectors bucket list item for sure.
After a long and distinguished career in Architectural Art and construction, Jon has turned his love of Italy and the Mediterranean into a new career. In Jon’s own words, he is “now a self-employed sports enthusiast, spinning pizza dough between track meets, recreating old-world Neapolitan style wood oven pizzas at the Iowa State Fair and around the Des Moines metro area as Parlo Pizza.
Jon is a 1974 grad of Des Moines Hoover and has been happily married to wife Nancy for 43 years. They have a daughter Sophia and 4 grandchildren.