Free Republic

Last of Steve Ballmer's old guard heads for the exit Kevin Turner’s departure as Microsoft’s chief salesman after 11 years marks the final passing of the Redmond old guard. Chief operating officer Turner - KT, as he was known - was a chief of the old-school corporate kind; sales, marketing and Microsoft’s stores all reported into Turner. His departure is part of a massive sales shake up that is doing away with the COO’s role. Judson Althoff, who was president of North America sales is now executive vice president of worldwide commercial sales, and the former head of sales and...

Former Alabama and NFL fullback Kevin Turner, who died Thursday after a long battle with the neurodegenerative disease ALS, is perhaps best remembered his toughness and versatility as a player and later his perseverance in fighting a deadly illness. Turner, who was 46, played fullback at Alabama from 1988-91. He then spent eight seasons in the NFL with the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles, retiring after the 1999 season.