May 29, 2000 - Eric Turner, 31, Oakland Raiders FS:
ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP) -- Eric Turner was a friend and a mentor as well as a teammate to Oakland Raiders cornerback Charles Woodson.
Turner died of abdominal cancer in the offseason, and memories of him are flooding back to Woodson now that the Raiders are playing in the AFC title game against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.
Turner should be there, Woodson said.
"It was all love, all the time. Me and T, man. It was hard," Woodson said. "I'm going to try and go out there and get it done for him."
Woodson recalled how the veteran safety showed him around the San Francisco Bay Area, his way around the team and the business of football.
When Woodson headed to the showers without shower shoes, Turner made fun of him. He handed Woodson a pair of his.
"He said, `Hey, you can't go into the shower without shoes. Here's mine.'" Woodson said, looking at his shower-shoed feet. "As a matter of fact, it's these shoes right here, he gave me."
Turner's locker remains at the Raiders' training facility in Alameda. His helmet is still there, as is a framed photo.
Originally drafted by the Cleveland Browns with the second overall pick in the 1991 draft, Turner signed with the Raiders in 1997 after making his second Pro Bowl in 1996 with the Baltimore Ravens.
Turner led the Raiders with 111 tackles in 1997, but was limited to six games in 1998 and 10 games in 1999.
Woodson, a Heisman Trophy winner out of Michigan, was a rookie in 1998. Turner quickly became his mentor.
"This is the NFL. It's a different level. But it's still football -- so just go out and play the game like you know how to play it," Woodson said Turner once told him.
Woodson was in Mexico when he got the phone call last May. Turner had died at age 31.
Turner kept his illness quiet, not even mentioning it to Woodson the last time they talked -- a couple of months before his death.
"He kind of kept that private," Woodson said. "I talked to him about a month before, and he just didn't sound like himself. He sounded kind of drained.
"But I never really knew what was going on. Then it happened, and reality set in that it was something more serious than we all knew about."
Woodson never got to say goodbye.
The Raiders started an annual award this season in Turner's name for the team's best defensive player, as determined by the players. Cornerback Eric Allen, who reinvigorated his career with three interception returns for touchdowns, was the first recipient.
"[I made] a pact with myself after the funeral saying I'm going to play to my utmost and always keep him in mind and try and do things that would make him proud," Allen said. "We talked a lot during our years together, talked about the backbone of the team, and about doing things the right way."
And the players dedicated their season to their former teammate. He'll be on their mind Sunday.
"The people who knew Eric know what he's left here, and the kind of mark he's left on this team," center Barret Robbins said. "We certainly miss him a lot. We really want to get that trophy for him."
UCLA Bruins Website
Eric Turner, one of the best football players in UCLA history, died Sunday at Los Robles Hospital in Thousand Oaks. He was 31. The cause of death appeared to be complications of abdominal cancer, according to Craig Stevens, medical examiner at the Ventura County Coroner's office.
"Eric was certainly one of the top players we have had during my 21 years at UCLA," said UCLA assistant head coach/defensive coordinator Bob Field, who served as defensive coordinator throughout Turner's career and has been at UCLA since 1978. "He worked hard in practice every day and he was a great role model for our younger players. But, even more importantly, he was always upbeat, pleasant and fun to coach. This is a tragic loss for anyone who knew Eric."
Turner was UCLA's starting free safety in 1988, 1989 and 1990 and earned All-America honors as a senior. He followed in the footsteps of Kenny Easley (1977-80), Don Rogers (1981-83) and James Washington (1984-87), helping make the UCLA free safety position one of the most recognized in college football.
He still ranks fourth in career tackles at UCLA with 369, trailing only three-time consensus All-America linebacker Jerry Robinson (468), Rogers (405) and Easley (374), also a three-time consensus All-American. He is also tied for fourth with 14 career interceptions, trailing Easley (19), All-America cornerback Carlton Gray (16) and Washington (15).
Turner joined the Bruin program in the Fall of 1986 following a great prep career at Ventura (CA) High School.
As a senior in 1990, Turner earned first-team All-America honors and was selected UCLA's Most Valuable Player on defense after leading the Bruins with 93 tackles and five interceptions. His late interception at Washington set-up Brad Daluiso's game-winning field goal with 10 seconds remaining as the Bruins upset the No. 2-ranked Huskies, 25-22 on November 10.
Following his UCLA career, Turner was the No. 2 pick in the 1991 NFL draft by the Cleveland Browns. It was the highest selection ever for a defensive back. He played nine seasons in the NFL with the Browns, Baltimore Ravens and Oakland Raiders. He made the Pro Bowl in 1994 and 1996 and tied for the league lead in interceptions in 1994 (nine).
