SANTA CLARA — Running backs coach Bobby Turner still feels incredible passion for football, even after 52 years in the game, including the last seven with the 49ers.
Turner’s notorious offseason attempts to thoroughly investigate the backgrounds of every running back candidate during pre-draft discovery serve as an example of this.
According to Turner, “it’s not something that just comes easy,” NBC Sports Bay Area reported. “You have to love it, and I do have to work at it. It resembles the passion for the game. It is a requirement of the job. I want to be the greatest at what I do because I love what I do.
“I need to be able to tell when I look in the mirror that I gave it my all throughout the entire assessment procedure. The same applies to getting ready for the games every week, no matter the outcome. I have the power to improve myself and those around me.
Turner, seventy-two, is a master at texting players throughout the draft process in addition to calling them. The veteran coach—whom Christian McCaffrey has even called a “legend”—thinks that a player’s maturity and dedication are just as important as great game film.
The esteemed Turner began his coaching career in 1972 at Kokomo High School. He then moved on to his alma mater, Indiana State, where he coached college football for 20 years. When he was hired by then-head coach Mike Shanahan to teach the running backs for the Denver Broncos in 1995, he was officially welcomed into the NFL.
For the next 29 seasons Turner has worked with a members of the Shanahan family, including when Kyle joined his father’s coaching staff in 2010 in Washington. Turner followed Kyle to the Atlanta Falcons in 2015 and then to the Bay Area in 2017.
ner takes note.
“I started 52 years ago, and for me, [players] don’t really charge,” Turner said. “That doesn’t mean if you didn’t return those [calls], and he could play and help us win, that I wouldn’t have felt the same way about him, but behind the scenes, No. 1 that’s held accountable for those guys.
“And they usually don’t change. So when they are not returning this and not doing that, not only am I working harder everyone around me is working harder to try to get that done.”
Turner sees a player’s professionalism as an indication of how they will approach game preparation, which for all 49ers running backs includes knowing what all 11 offensive players are doing on the field at any given moment. Turner’s track record demonstrates the efficacy of his approach.
Turner is still making an impact on the NFL, having left his influence on Hall of Famer Terrell Davis, undrafted talents like Raheem Mostert and Matt Brieda, and late-round draft pick Elijah Mitchell.The most recent player to make an impression on Turner is Isaac Guerendo, who plays with professionalism. Naturally, when the coach called, the Louisville prospect picked up the phone.
Turner declared, “We want players like Isaac.” The players we have here are the ones we want. It’s part of what I mean when I say it’s the 49er way.”
