ASU’s Good Luck Charm
Robert Turchin’s Impact on University Stretches From Football Arena to the Arts

By Mark Mitchell

There is a man who walks among us who has made a profound impact on Appalachian State University. He has supported the arts, served as a university trustee, donated money to the football program, served as a Mountaineer assistant coach, and probably most notably, donated the ASU arts center that bares he and his wife’s name.

Robert Turchin sports his Country’s Oldest Coach hat that reflects his assistant coach status with the ASU football team. Photo by Mark Mitchell

This kind of love and generosity surely must have come from a Boone native. No. Then this person most certainly attended ASU? No. The generosity and dedication Robert Turchin has shown for Appalachian State University was not instilled in him at birth, or during formative college years, but instead, from a deep appreciation and fondness the 85-year-old Floridian felt when he first ventured to the High Country mountains in 1971.

“I came up for a visit, and just fell in love right away,” said Turchin as he relaxed in his home. “I remember buying a lot and thinking that I would use it during the summer once I retired, but I saw all the wonderful things going on at the university and wanted to help.”

That help began when Turchin began attending the Appalachian Summer Concerts and learned that the program was losing money.

“I just said that I needed to get involved,” Turchin remembered. “So, one thing led to another and I became the Appalachian Summer Festival chairman.”

Turchin’s next venture with his adopted university took place when he became an ASU Foundation board member, a position he still maintains. He then moved on to serve as an university trustee in 1999, a position he held until earlier this year when the second of his two, four-year terms expired.

For all of these contributions, the most visible sign of Turchin’s impact on ASU came earlier this decade when the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts opened its doors. This opening fulfilled the university’s long-held dream of providing a home for world-class visual arts’ programming. The center is the largest facility of its kind in western North Carolina, eastern Tennessee, and southwestern Virginia. It was made possible financially through a donation by Turchin and his wife Lillian. And is named, subsequently, in their honor.

“My wife and I felt it was important for us to help ASU continue the great work they were doing in the arts, and wanted to further those efforts,” Turchin said.

This is not the first time that Turchin has shown support and generosity to a school. An alumni of Tulane University, a place where Turchin is enshrined into the school’s athletic Hall of Fame, Turchin also has a baseball stadium and library bearing his name at the university.

Turchin’s generosity, however, is in no way limited to the arts and academics. As a Hall of Fame athlete, it should come as no surprise that the 85-year-old is an avid sports fan. It should also come as no surprise that Turchin, in the late 90s, again demonstrated his generosity by donating $1,000 to the ASU football program for every game the Mountaineers won. He also encouraged other members of the community to take the challenge and donate whatever they could to the program for each win.

His support of the Mountaineers landed Turchin a spot as honorary coach in 1999.

“I would be a honorary coach one game a year, and we won that game six years in a row,” remembered Turchin, “so, coach (Jerry) Moore recruited me and said he wanted me to be a full-time assistant coach. We won our first national championship during my first year in 2005, and I became known as the lucky charm.”

It is no secret that the Mountaineers again captured a national championship in 2006, further cementing Turchin’s lucky charm status.

“I’ve had opposing coaches jokingly threaten to kidnap me,” said Turchin as he chuckled, “and (ASU) chancellor Peacock came up to me before this season to make sure I was coming back. I told him I wanted a new contract, and he just said “okay, we won’t pay you any less.””

When asked his favorite part of being an ASU assistant coach, the answer was quick.

“The people,” said Turchin. “I am very fond of coach (Jerry) Moore, he is a fine gentleman. It’s like a big family with the whole team and coaches. The players are great. I feel like another father to them. They are always “yes ma am” to my wife and “yes sir” to me.”

While almost every experience with the ASU football team is positive, the 85-year-old did say that avoiding player collisions is one thing he could do without.”“I am not as nimble as I used to be,” he said as he smiled, “and I have had a couple of hard hits on the sidelines. I was thrown for a loop during a game with East Tennessee State University a few years back, and my leg suffered a slight break after I got hit during our game with Lenoir-Rhyne this year. It makes me think that there is a limit to how many years I can do this. My hope is that we win another national title this year, and then we’ll just see what happens.”

For now, however, Turchin ends the interview and prepares for an afternoon football practice. A ritual and an experience he thoroughly enjoys.

“My daughters bought me a hat that says Country’s Oldest Coach, and I love it,” said Turchin. I enjoy the camaraderie, I enjoy the coaches and players, and I enjoy being at the university. I just enjoy helping out.”

And help out, he has.