BY SARAH STEPHENS
ELMORE/AUTAUGA NEWS
TOP PHOTO: Kevin Turner with some of his Prattville High School teammates: Standing (L-R) John McDaniel, Skip Powe, Kyle Glover, Terry Carr, Kevin Turner, Keith Mullins, Mike Kendrick. Kneeling (L-R) Wes Bonner, Tony Wright.
Photos within this article credited to the Kevin Turner Foundation, Josh Tatum or Kyle Glover.
The 25th Annual Kevin Turner Golf Tournament is returning to Prattville May 9, and this year golfers and volunteers will have a little different flavor of food, with Josh Tatum’s Legacy Barbecue, LLC. Hand in hand with that, some former teammates of Kevin Turner from Prattville High School are pitching in to sponsor the food for participants.
Josh Tatum is a Marbury, Alabama native, and the first football player, and only to date, from Marbury High School to advance to the SEC, playing for several years with Ole’ Miss.
Something he loves almost as much as football is barbecue. In January of this year, he partnered up with Jeff Campbell, owner of Legacy Seafood of Millbrook.
Last spring, Josh began cooking mainly for friends, but due to the popularity he began selling and catering.
When the cooking began to take more time than his real job, he knew it was time to make a serious move.
He started small, but his popularity began to grow, primarily driven through Facebook and word of mouth.
In November 2021 Jeff Campbell opened Legacy Seafood in Millbrook and Josh became a big fan of the food.
One day Jeff said to Josh, “You are the guy that does the barbecue?” And the conversations between the two began.
Jeff asked Josh to bring him a sample of a Boston Butt, ribs and chicken.
Josh stayed up all night cooking and dropped it off the next day. “Jeff called me and told me to come by his shop. I was thinking something was wrong.”
But Jeff told him, “We have an opportunity here to do something that has never been done in this area.”
So, the plan to offer excellent seafood and barbecue together, in one spot, was born.
Josh has strong ties to Kevin Turner’s family, and he said he is humbled and honored to be invited to serve as the caterer for the golfers and volunteers of the upcoming tournament.
“When I got the invite, I was so excited. I was told that it would have to be donated, however, for 375 plates. And I knew I could not swing that without serious help.”
So, Josh started contacting some of Kevin Turner’s former football teammates.
“Kyle Glover was the first call I made. He was my head coach in high school at Marbury and my biggest mentor playing football. Kyle was the one who fronted me when I bought my first smoker,” Josh said. “I knew if there was anyone in the Tri-County area that could make this happen, it would be Kyle. And he, along with other former teammates from Prattville High School…they have come through and are making it happen.”
Those teammates from PHS who won the first 6A championship in 1984 are still a tight-knit group.
Kyle Glover said he has reached out to many of them, who were eager to help…not just a former football player from the area, but in memory of their friend Kevin Turner.
“We are coming up on the 40th anniversary of that state championship game,” Glover said. “Kevin Turner and I started playing football together in the third grade. We were just sophomores in 1984 for that championship game.”
Glover said the teammates have remained close. “There is just something so special with our group and it doesn’t seem like that happens very often anymore. To take part in something that has my friend’s name on it means a lot.” But his participation is nothing new, as his business ventures have contributed time and money to the annual tournament, as well as the Prattville YMCA program in general.
“As a football coach, I have been a part of the lives of thousands of kids. Josh Tatum is a special one, for sure,” Glover said. “He was just a kid…a seventh grader… when I transferred to Marbury.”
Glover said he was happy to rally the troops and get financial support for Josh in catering the event for free. While there is no money coming to Legacy Barbecue, it still takes an enormous amount to prepare the food for almost 400 people that are golfing or volunteering.
Josh also talked about Kevin Turner’s father, Raymond, fondly. “Raymond stroked a lot of checks when he was at Larry Puckett Chevrolet for me to go to camps anywhere from Kentucky, to Texas, Mississippi, to Florida. Wherever we needed to go. There were so many people that supported the Marbury High School football program with camps. One very important one was Raymond Turner. The thought of me being able to give something back for Kevin’s tournament and honor the Kevin Turner Foundation and benefit the YMCA means everything to me.”
In speaking of knowing Kevin Turner, Josh was a bit emotional thinking about how much Kevin supported athletes, particularly in and around the Prattville and Autauga County area.
“I didn’t play at the same school as Kevin, but you always pull for the local guys. Kevin didn’t mind talking, helping…he was just that guy. You look at his fight with ALS and CTE for all those years. The one thing you see is he never gave up. He fought until the end. He never complained.”
Kevin was closer in age to Josh’s parents. “But everyone knew him. His story has impacted so many people. The same thing that gave him his illness and the reasons he died is the same thing that ended my football career in 2011.
“Concussions didn’t really become a big thing until around 2010. It wasn’t until 2012-13 that officials came out with the targeting rule,” Josh said.
Josh suffered many concussions, some quite serious, while he played football. He said that the aftermath of that is something that so many don’t understand, because you cannot see the injury.
“With a brain injury, it isn’t out there for the world to see, and people think you are crazy. When you tell people that you don’t feel the way you used to feel, people just don’t understand. I fight demons every day. I have to fight my emotions. For 16 years playing football, I was taught when you get mad, you get out on the field and demolish someone. But that isn’t how you work it out after football. You have to learn how to contain the aggression.”
The honor of being invited to cater the event coming this weekend is overwhelming, he said.
“To me, because it has Kevin Turner’s name on it, this is probably the most important event I have ever done. To have the YMCA tell me if this works out, it may be a recurring thing, means everything. As long as we can find a way to make it happen, we are going to make it happen as long as we are invited back.”
Funds raised from the Kevin Turner tournament go back into the Prattville YMCA for the Coach A Child program.
“As a person, if you are not trying to give back to the community in some way, you are losing. You can have all the knowledge in the world, but if you are not sharing it with anyone it doesn’t do any good. We have a blessing to cook and that is what we are going to offer,” Josh said.
Josh said he wants to pour praise on Jeff Campbell with Legacy Seafood Market. “He is a really humble guy, and he probably doesn’t want the attention. But I really want to give Jeff all the thanks in the world. When I tell you that I would not be here without him…he saw something in me. I am more thankful to him than I can ever put into words. There is no way to thank him for giving someone like me an opportunity to come in and use his place.”
While the food Josh is catering for the event is solely for golfers and volunteers, you can always stop by Legacy Seafood/Legacy Barbecue to sample the flavorful goodness and great combination. The business is located at 179 Ashton Plaza next to Adams Drugs in Millbrook.
There is limited seating at the business, and most orders are to go. But the possibility of delivery is there if the location and the amount ordered match up. Catering for events, parties, weddings, etc., is also available with prior notice.
There are some amazing creations that are very popular. “A Taste of Legacy” was created with four wings, two ribs, barbecue and shrimp with a side and hush puppies. And Loaded Fries? Imagine a plate loaded on the bottom with fries, covered in barbecue, with nacho cheese, homemade barbecue sauce and jalapenos. “If one person can eat it by themself, I would be surprised. Now, for me and some of my buddies that are 6’6 and big eaters, it is wonderful.”
Imagine ribs and shrimp, or half chickens with shrimp. Snapper and ribs. Josh said, “If it can be put on a plate, it can happen. We can get creative and are open to suggestions. We don’t do a set daily plate. Jeff and I discuss it in the morning, put it together and set the price. People will call me and say what they can spend per plate, and how many plates, and we create to order. Then we load it up and deliver. If it is worth it, we will deliver. The only thing we are missing when you order a plate from us is the beach and the ocean.”
Josh said that people believe you have to visit the beach to get quality seafood. “I have been to the beach before and didn’t get the quality of seafood that Jeff is pushing out. Their concept is offering others, who may not like seafood, an option or a combination at one place.
Hours are Tuesday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Pre-orders would be highly encouraged.
For more information on the location of both businesses and Legacy Seafood Market, visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/LegacySeafoodMarket
For the Legacy BBQ Facebook page visit https://www.facebook.com/RiverOakBBQ
For more information on the Kevin Turner Foundation, visit https://www.kevinturnerfoundation.org/
See more photos below!
