 Turnbull was named an All-American each of his 3 years on the Johns Hopkins Blue Jays men's lacrosse team and is widely regarded as one of the best to ever play the game.At Hopkins, Turnbull also played football and helped establish an ice hockey team.He was captain of the U.S. lacrosse team during the 1932 Summer Olympics and remained active in sports as a member of the Mount Washington Lacrosse Club.