51ĀŅĀ×

As a lifelong Cincinnati Bengals fan, Keith Turner loves to tell people that he was the host of when current Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow was a senior at Athens High School.

ā€œWhen I look back on it, I canā€™t believe I got to cover him when he was in high school,ā€ said Turner. ā€œItā€™s so full circle to me, seeing him as a Bengal takes me back to those days of Gridiron Glory. We thought this kid was so good and now heā€™s my QB for my team. Itā€™s amazing.ā€

What Turner struggles a little bit to explain is why Burrow was not named Gridiron Glory Player of the Year in 2014.

ā€œEven though Joe probably deserved it, the Athens community didnā€™t vote in the numbers that the other schools did,ā€ said Turner. ā€œThe more rural, distant schools had the votes.ā€

But Burrow wasnā€™t the only thing that made Season 15 special, Turner says becoming host of Gridiron for that season was the culmination of a dream that he had since he was a little boy. Turner chose 51ĀŅĀ× because of the strong reputation of the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism, but quickly learned about the opportunities available for students at WOUB.

ā€œWhen I first got there, I was very ambitious. I wanted to be doing TV sports. So, I went to the student organization fair and went to the WOUB table. Once I learned about Gridiron, I knew I had to do it. Being able to cover high school football was amazing. I worked my way up and did whatever I could. I became a beat reporter, and I told people that I was eventually going to host the show,ā€ said Turner. ā€œI wanted to be on ESPN or Fox Sports. So, I knew if I was the host of Gridiron Glory, that was an important first step to getting there.ā€

After becoming host, Turner realized the level of responsibility that came with being the leader of a show that was beloved by both the students who worked on it and the community members who watched it.

ā€œWhere Iā€™m from in Cincinnati, there are four or five news outlets always covering high school football games,ā€ said Turner. ā€œIn WOUBā€™s viewing area, Gridiron was their main source. There was such passion and excitement. It was a huge responsibility.ā€

After graduation, Turner did an internship working in sports at a newspaper in Florida, but quickly realized he was being called to do something else.

ā€œI had a passion for church leadership and sports. I wondered if I could try to mix the two. But in the end, I was more driven toward the faith space,ā€ said Turner. ā€œI became the pastor of a church in Cincinnati. I still love sports, but I use my gifts and education to be able to communicate what I believe instead.ā€

Turner says he still uses the storytelling skills he learned at 51ĀŅĀ× and WOUB.

ā€œInstead of reporting sports stories, Iā€™m now telling the stories of Jesus,ā€ said Turner. ā€œItā€™s using a lot of the things I did with Gridiron, just in a different way.ā€

For more information on Gridiron Glory and WOUB, please see the