A two-time Super Bowl Champion as an offensive coordinator with the Dallas Cowboys, Turner’s most recent assignment was in San Francisco where he was credited with helping the development of 49ers quarterback Alex Smith. Last season, Smith passed for 2,890 yards and 16 touchdowns while completing 58 percent of his pass attempts. As a rookie in 2005 prior to Turner’s arrival, Smith passed for just 875 yards, throwing only one touchdown pass and 11 interceptions.
Turner also breathed life into the 49ers running game as second-year back Frank Gore had a breakout season in 2006. Gore was selected to play in the Pro Bowl after leading the NFC and ranking third in the NFL with 1,695 yards. He scored eight touchdowns and averaged 5.4 yards per carry, highest among the league’s top 20 rushers.
A Bay Area native from Martinez, California, this is Turner’s second stint with the Chargers. He spent the 2001 season as the Bolts’ offensive coordinator under head coach Mike Riley and improved the Bolts offensive ranking from 28th to 11th. The Chargers still run the same offense that Turner implemented in 2001.
Turner’s 22 years of coaching experience include nine as a head coach, seven for the Washington Redskins (1994-2000) and two with the Oakland Raiders (2004-05). He spent 13 seasons as an NFL assistant coach, including seven as an offensive coordinator with the Dallas Cowboys (1991-93), Chargers (2001), Miami Dolphins (2002-03) and 49ers (2006). He began his NFL coaching career as an assistant with the Los Angeles Rams in 1985. He coached wide receivers from 1985-86 before adding the responsibility of the team’s tight ends from 1987-1990.
Turner made his coaching mark during his three seasons in Dallas. Serving under head coach Jimmy Johnson, the Cowboys won back-to-back Super Bowls (XXVII and XXVIII) following the 1992 and ’93 seasons.
Turner worked with three Hall of Famers in Dallas, quarterback Troy Aikman, running back Emmitt Smith and wide receiver Michael Irvin. When Aikman was enshrined in the Hall in 2006, he asked Turner to be his presenter.
With Turner as his offensive coordinator, Smith led the NFL in rushing all three years. Twice, Aikman and Irvin finished in the top three in the NFL in passing and receiving, respectively and tight end Jay Novacek led all NFL tight ends in receiving two years under Turner.
In 1991, Turner’s first year with the Cowboys, Smith (1,563) and Irvin (1,523) became the NFL’s first running back-receiver duo to eclipse 1,500 yards in the same season.
Catapulting off his success in Dallas, Turner was hired as the head coach of the Washington Redskins in 1994. He spent seven seasons in Washington, leading the Redskins to four winning seasons, including a 10-6 mark that landed the Skins an NFC East title in 1999. It was their first division title since 1991. Turner’s ’99 squad beat Detroit in an NFC Wild Card Playoff game before falling to Tampa Bay in the divisional playoff round. Turner went 49-59-1 in Washington. He was let go by the Skins with three games to go and a 7-6 mark in 2000.
Turner was a mentor to two Pro Bowl quarterbacks during his tenure in Washington. In 1996, Gus Frerotte became an all-star after passing for 3,453 yards and 12 touchdowns while leading the Skins to a 9-7 season. In 1999, Brad Johnson also garnered all-star recognition after passing for only the second 4,000-yard season in club history. Johnson threw for an NFC-leading 4,005 yards and 24 TDs, while guiding Washington to the NFC East title.
After spending the 2001 season with the Chargers, Turner spent two seasons (2002-03) as the assistant head coach/offensive coordinator on Dave Wannstedt's staff in Miami. The Dolphins went 9-7 in 2002 and 10-6 in 2003 with Turner calling the plays. Ricky Williams rushed for a combined 3,225 yards and 25 touchdowns in those two seasons for the Dolphins. He posted the two highest single-season rushing totals in team history, racking up 1,853 yards in ’02 and 1,372 yards in ’03.
Turner brought plenty of offensive firepower to the Bay Area during his two years (2004-05) as the head coach of the Chargers’ biggest rival, the Raiders. In 2004, Kerry Collins passed for 3,495 yards and 21 touchdowns, while leading receiver Jerry Porter just missed out on a 1,000-yard season as he caught 64 balls for 998 yards and nine scores. In 2005 though, Collins was part of a unique trio as he Randy Moss and LaMont Jordan accounted for 3,000 yards passing, 1,000 yards receiving and 1,000 yards rushing. Collins passed for 3,759 yards and 20 TDs, while Moss led the team with 1,005 yards and eight touchdowns, and Jordan rushed for a team-high 1,025 yards and nine scores. Porter just missed out again on a 1,000-yard season, as he accumulated 942 yards and five scores while leading the team with 76 catches.
Turner was a three-year letterman (1972-74) as a quarterback at the University of Oregon, spending two seasons behind former Charger and NFL Hall of Fame QB Dan Fouts. He graduated from Oregon in 1975 and spent that season as a graduate assistant with the Ducks.
In 1976, Turner moved on to the University of Southern California where he spent the next nine seasons as the Trojans’ wide receivers coach (1976-79), defensive backs coach (1980), quarterbacks coach (1981-83) and offensive coordinator (1984). In 1980, Turner tutored what is regarded by many as one of the finest defensive backfields in college football history. It included safeties Ronnie Lott and Dennis Smith, both of whom went on to become NFL first-round draft choices in 1981. Also playing in that backfield was Tennessee Titans Head Coach Jeff Fisher, who was selected in the seventh round of the ’81 draft. During Turner's nine-year tenure at USC, the Trojans played in four Rose Bowls, winning all four. One of those was a win over Michigan after the 1978 season that capped a 12-1 season and gave SC the National Championship.
Turner and his wife, Nancy, have three children, Scott, Stephanie and Drew.