The Polk County Sports Hall of Fame will expand by five as the Hall of Fame Class of 2025 has been announced and will include three former coaches, one of whom also was an elite athlete in Polk County in the ’50s, a Kathleen grad who played in the NFL and a long-time Polk County radio broadcaster.
In a vote earlier this year, former Hillsborough and Chamberlain football coach Bill Turner, who starred at Auburndale in high school, former Lakeland Christian soccer coach Dean Johnson, former basketball coach Gary Meyer, place-kicker Paul Edinger and broadcaster Ron O’Connor were selected for this year's class.
The Polk County All-Sports Awards and Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place June 17 at the RP Funding Center.
Turner is one of the most successful coaches in Hillsborough County history and was one of the best all-around high school athletes of his era as a four-sport athlete.
At Auburndale in the '50s, Turner, who died in 2017, was part of three state championship teams, two in basketball and one in track. He was the starting quarterback on the football team that won its final 20 games with him at the helm. He was the point guard on the basketball that was known for its pressing defense and fastbreak offense and won back-to-back state titles in 1955 and 1956.
In track, Turner finished second in the mile at the state meet in 1956, and the Bloodhounds won the team state championship.
Turner went on to play semipro football and was invited to a Buffalo Bills training camp before going on to a 38-year coaching career in Hillsborough County. He began at Hillsborough High in 1968 then spent 30 at Chamberlain. He retired in as Hillsborough County’s winningest football coach with 254 wins.
Johnson, who died in 2018, is one of the most successful coaches in Polk County history. He started at Lakeland Christian in 1977 and spent three years as JV baseball coach. He took over the boys soccer program in 1979 and won the first of his six state titles in 29 seasons as head coach. His six state title rank him fourth all-time in Polk County history behind former LCS cross country and track coach Mike Musick, former Lakeland football coach Bill Castle and Bartow softball coach Glenn Rutenbar.
While still coaching boys soccer in the fall, he started the girls soccer program in 1994-95 and coached the girls for 10 years before LCS boys soccer moved to the winter.
Johnson won more than 500 games as boys coach and his combined record as boys and girls soccer coach is 707-143-45. He won 24 district titles and 10 region titles.
Meyer was one of the most respected basketball coaches in Polk County during his 30 years. A 1975 Florida Southern grad, he started the basketball programs at Lake Gibson and George Jenkins and had just seven losing seasons as a coach.
As a head coach, he won more than 300 games, and including 153 games at Lake Gibson and about 175 games at Jenkins. He led Jenkins to the regional finals twice and regional semifinals three times.
After stepping down as head coach, he came back to help players he coached as an assistant.
Edinger was one of the top place-kickers in Polk County history during his career at Kathleen and went on to play at Michigan State.
In college, his kick in the final seconds gave the Spartans the win over Florida in the Citrus Bowl. He was All-Big 10 twice at Michigan State.
After his collegiate career, Edinger, 47, was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft. He spent five seasons as the Bears’ place-kicker and one year as the Vikings’ place kicker. In his six seasons in the NFL, he made all 164 of his extra-point attempts.
O’Connor has been broadcasting in Polk County since 1986 when he covered Lakeland during the Dreadnaughts’ first state championship season in football.
During his career in Polk County, he has covered high school, college and professional sports, including Florida Southern College and minor league Red Sox games on radio or cable television. He has been an outlet for fans on WLKF.
