Emmitt Smith led the NFL in rushing all 3 years under Norv Turner, and was the MVP of Super Bowl XXVIII.

The Dallas Cowboys had a record of 21–1 in the regular season and 5–0 in the postseason when Emmitt Smith ran for 100+ yards in a game under Turner's guidance of the offense from 1991 to 1993, usually gaining the lead early with big plays from Aikman to Michael Irvin and Jay Novacek then finishing off drives with Smith and their overpowering front line.

The Cowboys' record was 42–13 with 3 playoff appearances, winning 2 NFC East Division Titles (1992, 1993), 2 NFC Championships (1992, 1993), 3 Rushing Titles (1991–1993 Emmitt Smith), 1 League MVP (1993 Emmitt Smith), and 2 Super Bowls (XXVII, XXVIII), in Turner's years in Dallas.

He was released during the 2000 season of the Washington Redskins on December 4, 2000, following a 9–7 loss to the New York Giants where this dropped them to 7–6 on the year despite starting off with a 6–2 record.

This left Turner with the distinction of being the rare NFL head coach in the post-merger era to be fired midway through a season with a winning record (Ron Meyer of New England in 1984 was another).

Turner was replaced for the final 3 regular season games by interim head coach Terry Robiskie, the team finished 8–8 and missed the postseason.

When the Oakland Raiders fired head coach Bill Callahan following the 2003 season, owner Al Davis hired Turner to replace him.

By midseason, San Diego, a franchise thought to be a serious Super Bowl contender, had not won a single game against a team with a winning record.

After losing to yet another winning team, running back LaDainian Tomlinson called a players only meeting to discuss the season and the coaching changes.

Following this, the Chargers won 6 straight regular season games, including a come-from-behind, overtime victory versus the Tennessee Titans.

The next week, the Chargers managed to clinch their second straight AFC West Division title by beating the Detroit Lions in a lopsided game at home.

[12] His Chargers beat the Indianapolis Colts for the second year in a row in the playoffs,[17] but fell short to the eventual Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers in the divisional round game where his star running back LaDainian Tomlinson was out with a groin injury.

[12] After easily defeating divisional opponents Kansas City and Oakland, the Chargers faced a daunting stretch that included games against the Giants, Eagles, Cowboys, and Bengals, plus traveling to Denver.

After the ninth consecutive win, a 27–24 victory against Cincinnati on December 20, San Diego captured their third straight divisional title under Turner.

[15] On September 11, 2011, Turner recorded his 100th regular season win as an NFL head coach with a 24–17 opening game victory at home, over the Vikings.

[24] On December 6, U-T San Diego reported that Turner and Chargers general manager A. J. Smith would be fired at the end of the season.

[11] During Smith's tenure, the Chargers lost players such as LaDainian Tomlinson, Darren Sproles, Michael Turner and Vincent Jackson.

Quarterback Philip Rivers was frequently forced to scramble and was sacked 49 times, contributing to his 22 turnovers — 47 over the previous two seasons.

[35] On November 5, 2024, Turner was hired by the Las Vegas Raiders as a senior advisor under head coach Antonio Pierce.

[36] Turner and his wife Nancy have three children: Scott, who is the passing game coordinator for the Las Vegas Raiders;[37] actress and filmmaker Stephanie; and Drew.