Robert Turbin sees NFL as means to help at home PROFILE / Robert Turbin Having lost 2 siblings, back sees NFL as means to help at home

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As a child, Fremont's Robert Turbin could do nothing to help his sister Trina, who had multiple sclerosis and died at 21.

And beyond providing basic care, he's been powerless to improve the circumstances of his sister Tiffany, 32, who was born with a severe form of cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair. She is unable to speak and is paralyzed from the neck down.

In recent months, though, the former Utah State running back and soon-to-be NFL draft pick had dreamed of finally having the means to help his only other full sibling, his older brother, Lonnie.

Lonnie Turbin was a fiercely proud brother. And he was a heroin addict.

And Robert had mapped out a plan to save him: After he was drafted, he'd move his brother with him out of the Bay Area, check him into rehab and help steer him toward sobriety.

That plan won't be realized. On Feb. 6, less than three months before the NFL draft, Lonnie was shot and killed in Oakland. He was 35.

"I was going to look out for him, the same way he always looked out for me," Turbin said. "The thing that hurts the most is that I never got an opportunity to try to help him. My dad tried to help him. My other family members tried to help him. But he never listened to anybody like he listened to his little brother."

It's true that adversity can produce strength and a prime example is Turbin, a 5-foot-10, 222-pound running back with tree-trunk thighs, Popeye biceps and a bowl-you-over running style. His nickname: "Hulk." At the NFL combine last month, he did 28 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press, matching the most of any running back. It was also more than 28 offensive linemen and 22 defensive linemen.

His combine time of 4.50 seconds in the 40-yard dash ranked ninth among 28 running backs, and his blend of strength and speed has him projected to be a mid-round draft pick. He left school after a junior season in which he rushed for 1,517 yards, averaged 6.1 yards a carry and scored 23 total touchdowns.

Utah State running back Robert Turbin runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis on Sunday, Feb. 26, 2012. (AP Photo/Dave Martin) Utah State running back Robert Turbin runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis on Sunday, Feb. 26, 2012. (AP Photo/Dave Martin) Photo: Dave Martin, Associated Press Photo: Dave Martin, Associated Press Image 1 of / 4 Caption Close Robert Turbin sees NFL as means to help at home 1 / 4 Back to Gallery

Fittingly, given his strength, he's lugged two nondescript programs on his back. As a junior, he led Irvington High in Fremont to its first playoff wins in 44 years. Utah State, which went 1-11 the year before he arrived, went 7-6 and reached its first bowl game since 1997 last year.

Turbulence and tragedy

Off the field, he's carried the weight of a family life filled with turbulence and tragedy. He was raised by his father, Ronald Turbin, a retired truck mechanic and longtime assistant church pastor. He has only occasionally visited his mother, who he says has had a long history of drug problems and now lives in Fresno.

Growing up, Turbin helped care for Tiffany. He bathed her, fed her and tried to comfort her when she cried in the night. It was guesswork. Was she sad? Confused? There was no way of knowing.

And there was also no way of knowing what responsibilities Turbin had at home, former Irvington offensive coordinator Tom Casassa said. Before discussing his on-field heroics in a phone interview this week, Casassa brought up Turbin's infectious smile and ability to inspire others to follow his hard-working example. Bob Spain, Irvington's former head coach, calls Turbin the Pied Piper of his high-school teams.

"He didn't feel sorry for himself," Casassa said. "It was never like 'Oh, man, I've got a tough road.' He was just a hard worker. He worked his butt off in the weight room. He wanted to be a professional football player, and we knew that right away."

Actually, Spain initially questioned the work ethic of his hotshot sophomore who was habitually late for practice. Turbin, it turns out, was running home after school to meet Tiffany when a bus dropped her off. Turbin stayed with his sister until another family member arrived, allowing him to go to practice. He didn't tell his coach about the arrangement until Spain angrily addressed Turbin's tardiness.

Sound mind and body

"The thing I always think with Robert is this: genetics meets work ethic," Spain said. "I've coached high school football for over 20 years and very rarely do you see kids that come in that have the genetic ability to be an NFL player, but will work harder than everyone else around them to achieve that. That's what will always stick out with Robert - his undying effort to be the best that he can be."

Turbin's motivation to be the best was inspired by the drug-addled family members - his mom, his brother, an uncle - who were squandering their potential. He devoted himself to being different.

He found a positive example and calming influence in his father, an assistant pastor at All Nations Pentecostal Church in Oakland for the past 20 years. Why didn't Turbin turn bitter, angry and rebellious? He took his cues from his dad, who exuded a sense that everything was going to be all right, regardless of compelling evidence to the contrary.

"I could never catch him not in a good mood," said Turbin, who played the drums in the church band while his dad played the organ. "I could never catch him down and out. I could never catch him upset about something. You could never hear it in his voice. You could never see it in his demeanor. He just never showed it. That carried over to me. He was able to stay so strong and I was able to do the same."

Asked about his even-keel personality, Ronald Turbin says 99 percent of the credit goes to his faith. He then amends that number. Make it 100 percent, he said.

"The best way to teach somebody something is to let them see how it's done," Ronald Turbin said. "It's not always telling them something. They have to see it in you. That's what I've tried to do with Robert."

Exemplary work ethic

At Utah State, Turbin set the example for his teammates. Former Aggies running backs coach Ilaisa Tuiaki routinely saw Turbin at the team's facility at 5 a.m., often aiding recovery following another grueling workout by submerging himself in an ice tub.

Still, Turbin endured setbacks in college. As a freshman in 2007, he was granted a medical redshirt year after tearing the capsule at the bottom of his big toe. In 2010, he missed the season due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

After recovering from his knee injury, he was the WAC Offensive Player of the Year this past season and is now poised to be a pro.

After he's drafted in late April, he won't be able to help his older brother. But he plans to provide for Lonnie's children, four daughters and one son.

Playing in the NFL, he says, hasn't just been his dream. It's been his duty.

"I saw how things were with my family and if I failed, then what?" Turbin said. "There was nobody else that could do anything, so I couldn't fail. I play to be great. I play to be the best every day because I want to. And I have to."