Cowboys' KaVontae Turpin does backflip after throwing first pitch at Texas Rangers game
Cowboys receiver and return specialist KaVontae Turpin has already proven his talent on the football field, but he took that to the baseball diamond on Monday. Turpin had the honor of throwing out the first pitch at the Texas Rangers game against the Kansas City Royals and impressed in more ways than one.
He rose to the occasion to deliver a solid throw that painted the corner of the strike zone, but it was what he did after that was really impressive. He then bent his knees and geared up to land a backflip in front of the crowd before walking off the field. You can view the moment below.
Adding to the feat is that Turpin pulled off the backflip in jeans. His pregame show seemed to set the tone for the evening, as the Rangers went on to secure an 11-2 victory.
KaVontae Turpin is coming off of his first NFL season with the Cowboys in 2022. He served as both a kick and punt returner, averaging 24.2 yards per return on kickoffs and 10.4 on punts. He received an invite to the 2023 Pro Bowl Games and will hope to build on that performance this upcoming season.
As he showed at the Rangers game on Monday, he has the athleticism to be a threat for Dallas.
More on KaVontae Turpin’s journey to the NFL
Turpin played college football for four seasons at TCU from 2015-18. He finished with 145 catches for 1,748 yards and 13 touchdowns in that span before leaving as arguably the greatest returner in Horned Frogs history.
Turpin set the school record for most special teams touchdowns with six, including four punts returns for a touchdown. He broke the record with a 99-yard kickoff return against Oklahoma in 2018.
The talented return specialist seemed to have a shot at a pro career, but ran into off-field issues in the middle of his senior season. Turpin was cut from the team seven games into the year after pleading guilty in a domestic violence case against his former girlfriend. He went undrafted as a result.
Turpin later signed with the Frisco Fighters of the Indoor Football League, but ran into another roadblock as the season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He didn’t let that discourage him, though continuing to take other pro opportunities throughout 2021.
In 2022, he joined the New Jersey Generals of the United States Football League. He went on to lead the league with 540 yards receiving in addition to four receiving touchdowns and one punt returned for a touchdown. He was named MVP of the USFL, which earned him a look from the Cowboys who added him to the roster last season.
Since then, Turpin has made the most of that opportunity and he’ll hope to continue to do so in 2023.