Head coach experience:
1994-2000 Redskins 49-59-1
2004-2005 Raiders 9-23
Born May 17, 1952 at Camp Lejeune NC
Norv Turner completed his
first season [2006] as offensive coordinator with the
“I probably would have taught history. I used to be a history buff, now it’s gone more towards football than the world itself,” Turner said. “I like to think I have a pretty good understanding of the history of the league, history of players, those types of things.”
Over the years, tutoring quarterbacks to leave a mark in NFL annals has become Turner’s niche – QB Gus Frerotte went to the Pro Bowl in 1996 under his direction. In 1999, QB Brad Johnson led the NFC in passing with 4,005 yards and helped Washington win a division title. He also helped develop QB Trent Green in Washington and tutored QB Drew Brees as a rookie in San Diego. Additionally, Hall of Famer QB Troy Aikman excelled under his guidance in Dallas. Since his retirement, Aikman frequently has designated Turner for having the most influence on his playing success and backed that up by asking his former offensive coordinator to be his presenter in Canton during his Hall of Fame induction in August, 2006.
“It’s really rewarding when guys let you have a positive impact on them,” said Turner. “There are certain players who truly open up and are willing to listen, and learn and buy into what we are doing. It’s amazing how much more success they have than the guys who fight it. I appreciate the quality in a player who opens himself up and buys into the system and believes in it. They’ll have success, they let their ego and say ‘Hey, I’m yours,’ and then you can have a real impact on them.”
Turner said his approach has remained consistent despite the players he has coached. While his method impacts individual athletes in different ways, Turner said he stresses the importance on practicing skills that will lead to success on the field.
“I coached a veteran quarterback a few years ago and he said, ‘Norv, your problem is that you are too much of a perfectionist,’” said Turner. “I took that as a real compliment. I think you have to be exact, and you have to be demanding. Everyone has got to understand that the difference between winning and losing in this league is very, very small. It can come down to one play at any time, and so I think coaching the details is the thing that is most important to me.”
In his first season as head coach of the Raiders in 2004, Oakland ranked fourth in the AFC in net passing yards per play despite a season-ending injury to QB Rich Gannon, the 2002 NFL MVP, in the third game of the season.
Turner was Washington's head coach from 1994-00 and directed the Redskins to four winning campaigns, including two in a row (1999 and 2000). His 1999 Redskins claimed their first NFC Eastern Division title since 1991. While Turner was head coach with Washington, he also served as offensive coordinator. During his seven-year tenure in Washington, he led the Redskins to a regular-season record of 49-59-1. The Redskins went 1-1 in the 1999 postseason. During his seven-year stint as head coach with the Redskins, the team had a 1,000-yard rusher four times and a 1,000-yard receiver on five occasions.
Turner also served as the offensive coordinator on Jimmy Johnson's Dallas coaching staff from 1991-93. As the Cowboys’ lead play caller, Turner helped guide the team to two straight World Championships including wins in Super Bowl XXVII following the 1992 season and Super Bowl XXVIII following the 1993 season.
With Turner as offensive coordinator with Dallas, RB Emmitt Smith led the NFL in rushing all three years. In addition, both Aikman and WR Michael Irvin finished in the top three in the NFL in passing and receiving, respectively, twice. Also during Turner's tenure in Dallas, TE Jay Novacek led all NFL tight ends in receiving twice and averaged more than 57 receptions a season over that three-year period. In 1991, Dallas became the first team to have a running back, Smith (1,563) and a wide receiver, Irvin (1,523) eclipse the 1,500-yard mark in the same season.
Turner also spent two seasons on Dave Wannstedt's Miami staff as assistant head coach/offensive coordinator. RB Ricky Williams’ 1,372 rushing yards in 2002 marked the 10th time in Turner's 15 seasons as either a head coach or a coordinator that a running back surpassed the 1,000-yard rushing mark. In Turner's first season with the Dolphins in 2002, Miami ranked second in the NFL in rushing with an average of 156.4 yards per contest. The 2,502 total rushing yards were the third-highest total in Dolphins history.
Turner spent the 2001 season as the offensive coordinator with San Diego. Under Turner's guidance, the Chargers offense improved to the 11th-best unit in the NFL after having finished 28th overall the previous season. Chargers RB LaDainian Tomlinson led all NFL rookies with 1,236 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns on 339 attempts, while also catching an NFL rookie-best 59 passes. His rushing total ranked fifth in the AFC and ninth in the NFL. In addition, QB Doug Flutie threw for 3,464 yards and WR Curtis Conway had 71 receptions for 1,125 yards, marking just the second time in team history that San Diego had a 3,000-yard passer, a 1,000-yard receiver and a 1,000-yard rusher in the same season.
Turner began his NFL coaching career as an assistant with the Los Angeles Rams in 1985. With Turner as the team's receivers coach, the Rams offense finished third, fourth and third, respectively, from 1988-90, his final three seasons with the club.
Turner began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at the University of Oregon in 1975. The following year, he moved on to the University of Southern California where, for the next nine seasons, he served as the Trojans receivers coach (1976-79), defensive backs coach (1980), quarterbacks coach (1981-83) and offensive coordinator (1984).
In 1980, Turner tutored what is regarded as one of the finest defensive backfields in college football history. It included CB/S Ronnie Lott and S Dennis Smith, both NFL first-round draft choices in 1981, along with S Jeff Fisher, a seventh-round draft pick in 1981. During Turner's nine-year tenure at USC, the Trojans won all four Rose Bowls in which they appeared and took part in six bowl games overall, winning five of them.
The 1978 team went 12-1, including a victory over Michigan in the Rose Bowl, and claimed the National Championship. Turner was a three-year letterman (1972-74) as a quarterback at the University of Oregon, spending two seasons behind NFL Hall of Fame QB Dan Fouts.
“After my college career ended and I graduated, I wanted to stay in athletics,” Turner said. “I got a chance to stay in coaching as a graduate assistant. I played for John Robinson at Oregon and he gave me the chance to get involved as an assistant coach and it grew from there. The opportunity to stay in athletics and a competitive situation is why I wanted to do it and I was very lucky.”
Turner and his wife, Nancy, have three children, Scott, Stephanie and Drew.