Sturgis attended Richmond Senior High School in Rockingham, North Carolina, where he helped his team win a pair of Class 4-A state titles in 1988 and 1989, with a perfect 30-0 record over those two years.
[2] Sturgis accepted a football scholarship to play at the University of North Carolina in 1990, but was ruled academically ineligible.
Rather than enrolling as a Proposition 48 student, he opted to attend Fork Union Military Academy until qualifying the next year.
Sturgis was a backup to tight end Greg DeLong, playing mainly on special teams and making only one reception for 14 yards.
He became a starter, while registering 33 tackles (4 for loss), 4 quarterback pressures, one pass defensed and one fumble returned for a touchdown.
[14] Sturgis signed with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League and was released before the start of the 1998 season.
Sturgis joined the South Georgia Wildcats coaching staff as their defensive coordinator in the 2005 AF2 season.