Western Michigan football coach Gary Darnell was impressed with NIU’s Michael Turner on Saturday, but there was some extra motivation for the running back to play well.

LeShon Johnson, a 1993 NIU graduate and unanimous All-American, attended his first NIU football game since he left the DeKalb campus. Johnson, along with five others, were inducted into the NIU Athletics Hall of Fame over the weekend.

“In the back of my mind, I wanted to give [Johnson] a little show,” Turner said.

Turner ran for 173 yards on 35 carries in NIU’s 37-10 win at Huskie Stadium. A senior, Turner is the nation’s top returning Division I-A rusher from last year.

“Michael was putting on a show and I think our players bought a front-row ticket,” Darnell said.

Johnson, who was NIU’s second highest NFL draft pick as the No. 84 pick in 1994 by the Green Bay Packers, has seen a lot change at NIU since he graduated.

“Now we’re winning, we’ve got support now and it almost seems like a different place from when I played,” Johnson said. “It seems like a big-time college football feeling. I’d do anything to play here again.”

While he’s used up all his playing eligibility, Johnson said he wants to come back to NIU to be an assistant coach.

“I’m thinking about getting into coaching or becoming a pro scout,” Johnson said. “I hope that I can share what I know with others.”

Johnson’s pro career also saw him play for the Arizona Cardinals and New York Giants of the NFL and later, the Chicago Enforcers of the XFL, where he finished his career in 2000.

Johnson still holds the Cardinals’ single-game rushing record with 214 yards in a game against New Orleans in 1996.

Turner is well aware of Johnson’s legacy at NIU from Huskies coach Joe Novak, and was eager to get to know the Oklahoma native.

“To finally meet him, that was great,” Turner said. “That’s history right there. Coach Novak told me coming in here about the tradition of NIU running backs. To have alums come back and have a better sense of pride, that’s why you play.”

Johnson said he sees a lot of similarities between himself and Turner.

“He’s a great back and someone you definitely can’t tackle with one arm. He’s got all the tools to be a big-time back. Turner, he’s got something that I didn’t have until I got to the next level, and that’s patience. He’s a guy that waits for the hole to open up, and when it opens up, he’s got the speed to break it open and make the big plays.”