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Michael Turner (American football)

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For other people named Michael Turner, see Michael Turner (disambiguation).

Michael Turner
refer to caption
Turner with the Atlanta Falcons in 2013
No. 33
Position:Running back
Personal information
Born: (1982-02-13) February 13, 1982 (age 42)
North Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Height:5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight:245 lb (111 kg)
Career information
High school:North Chicago (North Chicago, Illinois)
College:Northern Illinois (2000–2003)
NFL draft:2004 / round: 5 / pick: 154
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Rushing yards:7,338
Rushing average:4.5
Rushing touchdowns:66
Receptions:70
Receiving yards:528
Receiving touchdowns:1
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Michael Turner (born February 13, 1982) is an American former football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Northern Illinois Huskies, earning second-team All-American honors in 2003. He was selected by the San Diego Chargers in the fifth round of the 2004 NFL draft, and also played in the NFL for the Atlanta Falcons. He was a two-time All-Pro and a two-time Pro Bowl selection with the Falcons.

Early life

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Turner attended North Chicago Community High School in North Chicago, Illinois. In 1999, he led his team to a 6–4 mark and the first playoff bid in 8 years by rushing for 1,392 yards and 14 touchdowns (10.5 average). His biggest game was for 295 yards on 19 carries including touchdown runs of 67 and school-record 90 yards in a win over Zion-Benton. He was named the Offensive Player of the Year and was a unanimous first-team All-North Suburban Conference player. He finished his high school career with 2,732 rushing yards and 26 total touchdowns. Turner also lettered in track & field at North Chicago, where he was a sectional 100-meter dash champion with a time of 11.15 seconds.

College career

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He attended Northern Illinois University, and played for the Northern Illinois Huskies football team. As a junior, he finished second in the nation with 1,915 yards, including five 200+ yd games and two games with five touchdowns. In 2003, he finished second in the NCAA in rushing, behind his future NFL teammate Darren Sproles, with 1,648 yards. He left NIU with the school records for rushing yards (4,941), touchdowns (43) and all-purpose yards (5,392). Since his departure from NIU, two records (rushing yards and touchdowns) have been broken by Garrett Wolfe.

College statistics

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Season Team GP Rushing Receiving
Att Yds Avg TD Rec Yds TD
2000 NIU 11 200 983 4.9 7 4 45 0
2001 NIU 10 92 395 4.3 3 10 76 0
2002 NIU 12 338 1915 5.7 19 10 100 0
2003 NIU 12 310 1648 5.3 14 19 230 3
Total 45 940 4941 5.3 43 43 451 3

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
5 ft 10+1⁄2 in
(1.79 m) 		237 lb
(108 kg) 		4.49 s 1.56 s 2.63 s 4.21 s 7.54 s 31 in
(0.79 m)		 9 ft 6 in
(2.90 m)		 22 reps
All values from NFL Combine[1]

San Diego Chargers

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Turner was selected by the Chargers in the fifth round (154th overall) of the 2004 NFL draft.[2] As a rookie, Turner played mostly on special teams, but started and ran for 87 yards in the regular-season finale against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Turner had again spent most of 2005 on the bench as backup to Pro Bowl starter LaDainian Tomlinson. But in the December 18 game against the undefeated Indianapolis Colts, Turner came off the bench to run for 113 yards, including a game-clinching 83-yard touchdown.

During the 2007 off season, Chargers' General Manager A. J. Smith stated that the Chargers would be willing to trade Turner in exchange for both a first and third round draft pick.[3] However, a day after 2007 NFL draft concluded, A. J. Smith stated that Michael Turner would remain a Charger for the 2007 season. He would no longer be accepting trade offers from other NFL teams for Turner.[4]

On April 26, 2007, Turner signed the $2.35 million, one-year tender he received from the Chargers after becoming a restricted free agent.

On January 13, 2008, Turner gained attention when he filled in ably for the Chargers' injured starter Tomlinson early in an AFC Divisional playoff game against the Indianapolis Colts, gaining 71 yards on 17 carries, including several key runs.

Atlanta Falcons

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Turner (right) during a game against the Oakland Raiders.

On March 2, 2008, the Atlanta Falcons signed Turner to a six-year, $34.5 million contract with $15 million guaranteed.[5] He was represented by agent James "Bus" Cook.[6]

In his Falcon debut, Turner broke the Falcons' single game rushing record against the Detroit Lions on September 7, 2008, rushing for 220 yards on 22 carries with 2 touchdowns.[7] His 220 yards against the Lions marked the third-highest opening day rushing total behind O. J. Simpson’s 250 yards in 1973 and Arian Foster's 231 yards in 2010 and his rushing total is also the most in NFL annals by a player in his first game with a new team and surpassed the previous mark of 202 yards setting by running back Gerald Riggs on September 2, 1984. Coincidentally, Turner became the first Falcons offensive player of the week following an NFL season opening weekend since Riggs earned the honor after setting his record in 1984. He was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week for this performance.[8] On November 23, 2008, he set a personal record with 4 rushing TDs in a victory over the Carolina Panthers. He compiled 117 yards rushing during that same game.[9] His seventeen rushing touchdowns during the 2008 season broke the Atlanta Falcons' single season record of 14 set by Jamal Anderson in 1998, it is also the second-most in NFL history for a first season with a team behind only Eric Dickerson (18).[10] He finished the year with 1,699 yards (a 4.5 ypc avg) and 17 rushing touchdowns. He is the first Atlanta Falcon in history to start and finish a season with 200 yard rushing performances (220 against Detroit week 1 and 208 against St. Louis week 17).

On December 16, 2008, Turner was named to the 2009 Pro Bowl, along with fellow Falcon WR Roddy White.[11]

Turner and teammates Roddy White, Eric Weems, Ovie Mughelli, Brent Grimes, Tony Gonzalez, John Abraham, Tyson Clabo, and Matt Ryan were voted to the 2011 Pro Bowl.[12] Turner was ranked 42nd by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2011.[13]

On January 1, 2012, Turner broke Gerald Riggs's franchise rushing touchdown record against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Turner rushed for two touchdowns, bringing his total rushing touchdowns as a Falcon to 60.[14] He was ranked 88th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2012.[15]

On March 1, 2013, Turner was released by the Falcons after failing a physical, saving the team $6.9 million in salary-cap space.[16][17]

After his release from the Falcons, Turner did not sign with another NFL team.

Falcons franchise records

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  • Most career rushing touchdowns (60)[18]
  • Most rushing touchdowns in a season: 17 (2008)[19]
Turner during the 2011 season.

NFL career statistics

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Legend
Led the league
Bold Career high
Year Team Games Rushing Receiving Fumbles
GP GS Att Yds Avg Lng TD Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost
2004 SD 14 1 20 104 5.2 30 0 4 8 2.0 7 0 1 1
2005 SD 16 0 57 335 5.9 83T 3 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0
2006 SD 13 0 80 502 6.3 73 2 3 47 15.7 30 0 0 0
2007 SD 16 0 71 316 4.5 74T 1 4 16 4.0 12 0 1 1
2008 ATL 16 16 376 1,699 4.5 70T 17 6 41 6.8 18 0 3 2
2009 ATL 11 11 178 871 4.9 58T 10 5 35 7.0 10 0 4 2
2010 ATL 16 15 334 1,371 4.1 55 12 12 85 7.1 19 0 2 2
2011 ATL 16 15 301 1,340 4.5 81T 11 17 168 9.9 32 0 3 2
2012 ATL 16 16 222 800 3.6 43 10 19 128 6.7 60T 1 3 1
Total 134 74 1,639 7,338 4.5 83 66 70 528 7.5 60 1 17 11

References

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  1. ^ "|,:2004 NFL Draft Scout Player Profile". Archived from the original on March 4, 2016.
  2. ^ "2004 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 6, 2023.
  3. ^ SignOnSanDiego.com > San Diego Chargers – Chargers GM: Turner creating 'a buzz'
  4. ^ Chargers.com – News » Headlines » Smith: ‘Turner will be a Charger in ‘07’ Archived October 9, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ "Falcons agree to terms with former Chargers running back Turner". March 2, 2008. Archived from the original on March 5, 2008. Retrieved March 2, 2008.
  6. ^ Carlisle, Jeff (March 2, 2008). "Falcons agree to deal with free-agent RB Turner". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
  7. ^ "Finally starter, Turner's debut is smoking hot". The Augusta Chronicle. September 9, 2008. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
  8. ^ "2008 NFL Week 1 Leaders & Scores". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
  9. ^ Falcons' Turner proving hard to take down, even harder to ignore
  10. ^ Turner has a shot at record[permanent dead link]
  11. ^ "2008 NFL Pro Bowlers". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
  12. ^ "2010 NFL Pro Bowlers". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
  13. ^ "2011 NFL Top 100". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
  14. ^ Vivlamore, Chris (August 10, 2012). "Falcons need to carry momentum of running game into playoffs". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
  15. ^ "2012 NFL Top 100". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
  16. ^ Rosenthal, Gregg (March 1, 2013). "Michael Turner, John Abraham cut by Atlanta Falcons". NFL.com. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
  17. ^ "Michael Turner's release listed as "failed physical"". NBC Sports. March 1, 2013. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
  18. ^ "Atlanta Falcons Career Rushing Leaders". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
  19. ^ "Atlanta Falcons Single-Season Rushing Leaders". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
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