Marcus strove to do better and work that much harder because Reggie couldn't do the thinks Marcus could. Marcus Dupree, who rose to fame in Mississippi and beyond after a brief but impressive football career that became the subject of an ESPN documentary, is speaking out about his alleged role in a sprawling welfare fraud case that has also entangled Hall of Fame NFL quarterback Brett Favre and dozens of others. However, once he enrolls in Southern Mississippi, he is informed that his eligibility to play in the remainder of the 1983 season and the entire 1984 is uncertain. All rights reserved. Ultimately the knee injury prevented him from making enough of an impact and he was released by the Rams after the 91 season. ',',the man that has a mustache. Barry Switzer did right by Dupree as long as Dupree did right by him. In two seasons (1990-91), he rushed 68 times for 251 yards and a touchdown. I dont know.. Second quarter you may fumble the ball and come into halftime and have to regroup and understand whats going on. The concussion leaves him dazed and unable to respond to questions.He returns home to Philadelphia for a time and decides that he cannot return to Oklahoma. It should be apparent to even the most casual observer that Switzer has done all he can for Dupree. He hastily issued a statement through the sports publicity office at the University of Oklahoma that said, in effect, Marcus Dupree will not be back to play football for the Sooners. Yes, you read that right; hes wearing No. His football journey was profiled in a 2010 ESPN 30 for 30 documentary, "The Best That Never Was.". Nearly 100 schools hotly pursued Dupree's signature before he ultimately landed in Norman, Oklahoma with the Sooners. I was still being recruited by schools from all over the country. He won the Big 8 Newcomer of the Year Award, was named to APs All-Big Eight First Team and UPI placed him on their All-Big Eight Second Team. My dreams were over.. After the first three games of the season, Dupree had just twelve carries for 20 yards and the Sooners' record was 12. When Dupree was questioned about his wrestling career, he said,I just like to make people happy. He got off to a good start, rushing 69 yards on 17 carries with a touchdown. Man if she was here today I cant even imagine what Cella Ruth would be saying. He played with them for two seasons before he was forced to leave the gamebecause ofa knee injury. Doris Allen 1973-1977. Among those who were issued demands to return funds are Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre, former professional football player Marcus Dupree and former professional wrestler Ted Dibiase Sr. The entire team, and by extension the town, takes pride in Duprees accomplishments and abilities; some recount that his presence helped bring townsfolk of all different races together to the stands for a common purpose, something unthinkable at the time of Duprees birth.Dupree attends a high school football game taking place on September 4th, 2009. Dupree's defection after the Texas game last October doomed the '83 OU season to mediocrity, and the slightest hint that he might return for '84 could have a devastating effect on the high school players the Sooners are trying to recruit for next season. A 6-foot-2, 225-pounder who was once clocked at 4.29 in a 40-yard dash, he toyed with high school defenders. He later found to have had a role in the Mississippi welfare funds scandal. Dupree broke many records in both high school and college. Dupree was the center of the most heated recruiting frenzy in. The media interprets this as Switzer blaming the loss at the Fiesta Bowl on Dupree. Dupree's mother was supporting the family by herself on the salary of a school teacher. The following summer, dupree received an icelandic citizenship and as a result his playing time and performance increased with his averages jumping to 11.4 points in 2 He died april 13, 1986, at the age of 42. The late Reggie White remains one of the greatest linemen to play any brand of football. Schumann returning to Georgia, FSU AD: Lagging ACC revenue 'has to change', Harbaugh: Corum to miss spring to rehab knee, The new law changing service academy football, and the coaches pushing back, Realignment chatter: How the Pac-12 holds the key to it all, Connelly on transfer trends: What last season can teach us about 2023, College football's assistants and coordinators to watch in 2023. Marcus Dupree made a name in the 1982 OU-Texas game, but ended his Sooner career with a disappointing performance a year later. On October 16, 1982, he ran for 158 yards against Kansas, including a 75-yard touchdown run. Breakers fans saw him as a local boy made good; the Superdome was packed with large crowds by USFL standards.[10]. Here's what happened to football player Marcus Dupree and where he is now, in 2023. Such was the case with Marcus Dupree, a star running back who lit the college football scene on fire as a freshman in 1982. Those who knew Dupree declare that he is possibly the best running back who ever played football. In 1984, Marcus Dupree signed with the New Orleans Breakers of the USFL and had a pretty good season, scoring nine touchdowns. His mother, the late Cella Ruth Dupree Conner, soon began telling Dupree the same. They make a grand ceremony of his signing on March 3rd, 1984 at the Superdome.Dupree plays his first game for the Breakers on March 11th, 1984, and plays well despite still being somewhat out of shape. However, he is not bothered by the decision, feeling that he accomplished what he set out to do. Most of the parents just wanted them to be around me. The title was The Best That Never Was, the moniker forever a noose around Dupree's neck.It all returned as I watchedthe speed and power and poetry of the way he ran; the willful puncturing of that by Barry Switzer in the . He never actually touched the field for the Golden Eagles. And it would be the best for Barry Switzer and the OU Sooners. He knows that young football players make a lot of mistakes. But due to his injuries, he had to sit out for most of his games. Since then, he has wrestled, worked as a VIP host for a casino group and also made ends meet by driving a truck. Everybody around me was sad when I was released, he said. Marcus is thought to live with girlfriend, Kim, and enjoys spending time with his family. But on Wednesday, Fairley said Dupree simply wanted to "play football" this year. He said he preferred running backs who "were a little more well-rounded, could catch the ball coming out of the backfield and could do some of the other things besides run with the football."[15]. The Best Marcus Dupree Brother Reggie Died Ideas. I had forgotten about Marcus Dupree.Until roughly a month ago, when I watched a brilliant documentary on ESPN that was conceived, written, and directed by Jonathan Hock. ", 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. Coach Switzer says I dont practice that well. He finished his high school career with 7,355 rushing yards with an 8.3-yards-per-carry average. Texas and Oklahoma send their recruiters, Tommy Reaux and Lucious Selmon, to live in Philadelphia full-time until signing day. He had many obstacles in his football career and made him a stronger person. Oklahoma assistant coach Lucious Selmon spent six weeks in the Downtown Motor Inn in Philadelphia,[7] and after Dupree verbally committed to Fred Akers and the Texas Longhorns while on his visit there, OU head coach Barry Switzer sent former Oklahoma Sooner and Heisman Trophy winner Billy Sims to the town by private plane to appeal to Dupree. An NCAA spokesman said Wednesday that feat is "legally" impossible. BIOG: NAME: 2023 www.oklahoman.com. Sports Illustrated has a look at . Hes happy with his life and doesnt look back. He finished his career with 251 yards on 68 carries during regular season play, for a 3.7 yards-per-carry average, rushing for one touchdown. Today, Marcus is a 46-year-old part-time truck driver, struggling to get . But Dupree insists he did mentor teens at his 15-acre horse farm in Flora, Mississippi. ", "Marcus Dupree's doc; Howard Stern's most wanted sports guests", "Twenty years after leaving OU,'people still remember me', "PRO FOOTBALL; Dupree Is Taken by Surprise as Rams Let Rusher Go", "EXPLAINER: Favre, other sports figures in welfare fraud case", "Marcus Dupree's documentary; Howard Stern's most wanted sports guests", College and Pro Statistics @ totalfootballstats.com, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Marcus_Dupree&oldid=1140304379. In October 2021, Dupree's lawyer, J. Matthew Eichelberger, sent a sharply worded letter to White. Dupree, the top high school prospect in the nation out of Philadelphia High School in the1982 signing class, has long contended Fairley took a large share of Duprees five-year, $6 million contract with the New Orleans Breakers in 1984. She kept saying, Something aint right about that guy. As usual, my grandmother proved to be right again.. MARCUS DUPREE By John Ed Bradley September 21, 1983 Poor Marcus Dupree. I'm passionate about what we did, and for the state to be talking about 'Oh, none of that happened,' yes it did," Dupree said. "I advised Marcus to stay in school . Marcus Dupree was one of the most exciting college football prospects of all time. Last Name: Ricky Adams 1977-1981. Switzer wishes to avoid playing favorite and becomes known for criticizing elements of Duprees play style. Dupree started his career with reynir sandgeri in the 1. Dupree finds himself overwhelmed by the attention and uncertain of what to do, particularly after his relatives weigh in with their own feelings on the matter. It's the story of Marcus Dupree, who was one of the most famously recruited high school football players of his generation. He wanted me to sign with Southern (Mississippi). ", Dupree decries Favre comparison in fraud case, The Turnover Luck Index: Rating every 2022 team, from USC to Rutgers, Kiper's updated NFL mock draft: Who's moving up for a QB? Dupree first met Fairley during his senior season of high school. Dupree wasn't attending classes at OU and now he's quit school again. A Mississippi Department of Human Services initiative called Families First for Mississippi, run by two nonprofits, illegally funneled the federal welfare money to Dupree, the lawsuit states, in exchange for his work as a "celebrity endorser" and "motivational speaker.". He was also the MVP of the Fiesta Bowl, rushing for 239 yards. The monthly lease payments for the property totaled $9,500, the audit states. Why is the Steelers logo only on one side of their helmets? He is an actor and producer, known for Fragmented Commitments, Mississippi Scholar and Enterfear: The Next Wave (2022). "I'm getting lumped in with whatever Brett Favre and the governor had going on. Ken Fairley, a friend of the family, was quoted on Tuesday saying Dupree wanted to play "college football" in '84. He recounts that his father, long after being released from prison, takes great interest in the high school football games and becomes one of Duprees fans. By his senior year of high school, Dupree retains his speed despite his imposing size, and breaks several records for high school football. "[10] Hampered by injuries, Dupree gained 369 yards on 61 carries with three touchdowns while playing in four of the first five games of the season. After Dupree had been out of football for four years, he met with Walter Payton on some business ventures and Payton urged him to get back into shape to try out for the NFL again in 1990. Now 52, the former heralded football recruit, whose career tragically vanished almost within no time, has now set foot in thepro-wrestlingring! He is carried off the field in a stretcher. Ken had gotten my power of attorney. As a junior in 1980, he rushed for 2,550 yards and scored 34 touchdowns (25 rushing, 9 by kick return). He's been in and out of hospitals many times and still needs further medical attention. Geneva Alexander 1976-1980. Meet the Inspiring NFL On-Air Personality, Who Is Will Hardy? Marcus Dupree was a national star as a freshman running back at theUniversity of Oklahoma in 1982. ; hes wearing No 1983 Poor marcus Dupree was questioned about his wrestling career, had! Never actually touched the field for the Golden Eagles all time spending with... And becomes known for criticizing elements of Duprees play style imagine what Cella Ruth would be the best Never! The former heralded football recruit, whose career tragically vanished almost within No time, has set... Espn 30 for 30 documentary, `` the best for barry Switzer and the governor had on! Sharply worded letter to White interprets this as Switzer blaming the loss at the Fiesta,... Records in both high school career with 7,355 rushing yards with an 8.3-yards-per-carry average most heated recruiting frenzy in be! 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