It is not unusual for players who faced each other in college to play on the same team in the NFL. It is, however, unique for them to be so instrumental in each other’s success.
For four seasons, Ovie Mughelli was the starting fullback for the Falcons and behind him was tailback Michael Turner. It may be the most talented backfield the Falcons ever had, considering Mughelli came to the club after signing the biggest contract ever for a fullback, and the Falcons thrived with Turner running ball.
Mughelli went to Wake Forest and Turner to Northern Illinois.
Mughelli remembers Turner when the Demon Deacons faced the Huskies in 2002. In that game which was won by Northern Illinois 42-41 in overtime to open the season, Turner gained 31 yards and Mughelli 74.
“It was fun because I knew of him and he knew of me,’’ said Mughelli. “I was staring over at their sideline thinking, ‘Who is that guy out there running through our defense?’ He’s short and pudgy, but he is moving! He’s fast! They can’t bring him down. I was a senior, and I was getting on our defense like, ‘You can’t let him run all over you. He’s not that good.’ I was bagging on him and trashing him.”
Just the year before, Northern Illinois and Wake Forest met in another classic which saw Mughelli’s Deacons come out on top 38-35. In that contest, Mughelli caught three passes for 23 yards while Turner carried eight times for 43 yards, including a 27-yard tote up the middle that brought the Huskies to within three points with 6:40 remaining before time ran out on the upset-minded visitors.
Mughelli joined the Falcons in 2007 and Turner the season after.
He said, “We end up becoming teammates, good friends and worked together and I find out he was saying the same thing to his teammates. ‘You can’t let him run all over you. He’s a fullback. You can’t let a fullback go on a 50-yard run. I scored four touchdowns that game and he scored three. It’s interesting how fate worked out. Plus, he helped me that day because the pro scouts came to see him after his great season the year before and got to see me play, too.”
From 2008-11, Mughelli and Turner made up one of the more feared and powerful running attacks in the league. With Mughelli as his lead blocker, Turner led the NFL twice in carries and racked up 5,281 yards and 50 touchdowns in four seasons, vaulting him up Atlanta’s rushing record books. In their first season together, Turner set the franchise record with 17 rushing touchdowns in a single season and in his four seasons with Mughelli, shattered Gerald Riggs’ career rushing touchdown record. Turner made two Pro Bowls (’08 and ’10) and Mughelli joined him in 2010, his first and only selection of his nine-year career.
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