Northwest Missouri football celebration turns somber with news of player’s death

A celebration of Northwest Missouri State’s football championship turned somber on Sunday upon news of the death of Nicholas Turner, a junior defensive end.

About an hour into the festivities at the Lamkin Activity Center on the Maryville, Mo., campus, football coach Adam Dorrel took the microphone and announced that the event was over.

Fans who were gathering autographs from the team that won the NCAA Division II championship in December at Sporting Park were asked to leave and the players were told to stay. Dorrel then delivered the news. Turner had been found dead in his dorm room.

Turner, a corporate recreation and wellness major from St. Louis, recorded 22 tackles with seven sacks and 3  1/2 tackles for loss in 2015. He had a sack in the title game against Shepherd University (W.Va.).

Northwest Missouri president John Jasinski sent a campus-wide email informing students and faculty of the news and issued a statement Monday: “I spoke with Nicholas’ parents this afternoon and ask that you keep his family in your thoughts and prayers.”

According to a university release, the death is under investigation by the Nodaway County coroner’s office, Maryville Public Safety and University Police. No foul play is suspected.

Turner’s death occurred two weeks after another Northwest student was found dead in a dormitory.

This story was originally published February 1, 2016 at 5:29 PM with the headline "Northwest Missouri football celebration turns somber with news of player’s death."