Michael Turner (born February 13, 1982) is an American former football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the fifth round of the 2004 NFL Draft and also played for the Atlanta Falcons. He played college football at Northern Illinois. Early years 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 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. Professional career Pre-draft San Diego Chargers Turner was drafted by the Chargers in the fifth round (154th overall) of the 2004 NFL Draft. 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. However, a day after 2007 NFL Draft concluded, A.J. Smith stated