Keena Turner knows what it feels like to run into Ross-Ade Stadium in front of 60,000 fans. He knows the feeling of having his name called on draft day. He knows what it's like to win a Super Bowl title. And the joy in each of those moments doesn't hold a candle to the feeling he had on Saturday…earning his Purdue degree along-side his youngest daughter, Ella.
"It's pretty special," Turner says. "First, for my daughter to be here for four years and graduate is great. But for me to be a part of that special day along with her? It's pretty cool."
This moment has been decades in the making for the Turner family. Keena came to Purdue to play football in 1976 and excelled for four years on the gridiron, earning first-team All-Big Ten honors as a junior and senior while leading the "Junk Defense" during one of the best stretches in program history. When the San Francisco 49ers called his name in the second round of the 1980 NFL Draft, Keena was a handful of credits shy of graduation.
After more than a decade with the Niners, during which he was a vital part of four Super Bowl Championship teams, Turner retired and moved into the franchise's front office. He also took advantage of a partnership between the 49ers and the University of San Francisco to finish his degree program and earn his diploma. It fulfilled his promise to his mother to earn his college degree but not having that diploma from Purdue always weighed on him.
"He had his degree," says Ella. "But he always felt bad he didn't get his degree from Purdue. My mom was so encouraging for him to do this."
Linda Turner, Keena's wife and Ella's mother, actually did a lot of the leg work, calling different departments on campus to figure out what it would take for her husband to finish what he had started in West Lafayette.
"My wife was pushing it uphill by herself for a while but to have this opportunity with my baby girl was really special," Turner says about the decision process. "We got to a point where the opportunity was there to walk with her. Once I heard that, I was all in."
Once the Polytechnic Institute got back with the Turners to let them know the credits Keena would need to graduate from their program, there was one more prerequisite before moving forward: making sure Ella was okay with sharing her senior year with her dad.
"He told me he would only do this if we could graduate together and wanted to make sure I was alright with it," Ella says with an easy smile. "I told him of course I was okay with it. It's awesome. I'm so proud of him."
It wasn't always easy. Keena began taking classes last fall while continuing to serve as the Vice President and Senior Advisor to the General Manager with the 49ers. He enrolled in a supply-chain management class and a physical geography class online, which presented some unique challenges for the 62-year-old.
"That geography class kicked my butt," Turner says with a chuckle. "We had chapters due every week and proctored quizzes online three times a week."
One particular experience stood out when he was on the road with the team in Florida. Turner had until midnight to take an online quiz and the hotel's Wi-Fi went out at 11:15 p.m. Frantic, he contacted the Niners' IT personnel to see if they could help.
"I finally realized I was on east coast time and had until midnight on the west coast to finish the quiz," Turner says sheepishly. "It was pretty intense for me. I remember a time when there were no cell phones so this is all pretty new to me."
"He took his classes very seriously," Ella confirms. "He wanted to learn and stay on top of things. He's pretty up on technology but there were a few times he needed my help on figuring some things out."
Keena and Linda are very proud of their Ella, their second of three kids. She chose Purdue partly because of fond memories of coming here with her dad as a child, even though it was far from their home in Tracy, Calif.
"We always try to push our kids out of their comfort zone," says Linda of her youngest daughter moving 1,800 miles from home. "But she rose to the challenge. We're so proud of her."
Ella immediately contacted the John Purdue Club when she arrived on campus in 2017, volunteering as a student worker for two years before joining the department as an intern her junior year.
"It was a great experience," Ella says of her time with JPC. "Working events was always fun and I loved getting to meet alumni and donors."
Her parents credit the experience with the John Purdue Club for helping her break out of her shell, overcome a natural shyness and prepare her to utilize her Selling and Sales degree in the near future. That personal growth is one of the things Keena remembers so well about his time on campus as well.
"Purdue is where I grew up," he says. "I have so many memories, not just of playing ball but of the relationships. Guys like Pete Quinn, Mark Herrmann, Ben McCall, the coaching staff. Without football, I probably wouldn't have gone to college. There's a lot for me to be thankful for and Purdue was a part of a lot of special times."
He was happy when his daughter chose Purdue because he had good reason to come back to campus these last four years. Turner credits too many people to list for his success at Purdue, from President Mitch Daniels to the folks with the Polytechnic Institute to the people with the John Purdue Club.
Turner knows the importance of a college degree and imparted that wisdom to the football team when he was back on campus during one of his visits to see Ella.
"I told them that I've got four Super Bowl rings that are in my sock drawer at home but my college diploma is hanging on my wall," Turner recalled.
Now he's got a new college degree to display and the memory of a lifetime to go along with it.