When you are 19 years old you are indestructable and think that you will be young forever You blink your eyes, make life choices and the next thing you know it's 25 years later and you are left wondering if you made all the right choices and if you followed the right path?? That is the lesson that Marcus Dupree's story teaches us. Time waits for none of us. Do everything you are capable of doing to reach your full potential, because if you don't you will look back and wonder "what if??"
NEVER heard of this dude, until the ESPN show. I have to say he reminds me bo jackson but even more athletic and natural of a runner... if that is possible. Incredible.
He has such a sad story, Oklahoma screwed him over, you can't understand the feelings I have for this man...Such a humble man as well, truly the Best that Never Was.
I just watched the 30 @ 30 special. Freaking AWESOME! Very touching that wanted to run hard for his little brother Reggie. I must admit, I shed a tear when he was talking about his brother at the end while tearing up. Great redemption though. He made his dreams come true after all that...great great story.
i watched the espn 30 for 30 on him. and after watching it i can honesty say. if he stayed at ou and stayed healthy he would be one of the best 3 rb we have ever seen
im young and i wasnt around to see him play i saw the 30 for 30 movie and damn this bul give me chills when i see him run.all he had to do was slim downand that would had cut the injuries down.but its cool now i get to see chris johnson he's nothing like dupree but alittle close
Marcus made a NFL comeback with the Rams in the early 90s after being encouraged to do so by Walter Payton. Marcus changed his number to 34 for Payton and after leading the team in rushing in preseason quit to take care of his dying mother. A lot of his problems at Oklahoma were rumored to be home sickness.
He was the best that never was. I had season tickets for Arizona in USFL and was at the game at Sun Devil Stadium when he blew his knee out. Didnt even look like a bad hit, but then he didnt get up. Sad story.
Just caught this on ESPN. Marcus struck me as a very talented athlete, but a very insecure young man. It seemed like he wasn't prepared to handle the big stage and everything that goes with it. Very sad in a way. Regardless, I'm happy that he is happy with is life now. How many of us have made decisions that curtailed our own potential. I know I have. I think a lot of people can relate to Marcus's story. I can in my own way. God bless Marcus Dupree.
This guy was probably the most freakishly talented young running back ever... remember, all he had (due to his unfortunate immaturity issues) was a FRESHMAN season... let him get 3 or 4 seasons under his belt, this would be a different discussion... in the Mizzou game that season he not just outran, but ran away from their 4.3 defensive back... 4.5? I think not...
@TheGAM3rFR3Ak But Its about so much more. All are amazing stories - his talent and what he couldve been, the lack of wise strong guidance to help a teenage phenom make better decisions, and the pain of loss and the strength to comeback from the devastating consequences of our mistakes... all make his life such an amazing story..
what a awsome football player if you took peterson earl cambell and bo jackson you might get marcus dupree did you see the size of him at 14 years old,if he could of gone to the nfl when he was 19 everybody would have known him.I was in aww
I really don't like the idea of pimping ESPN any, but 30 for 30 is an epic show. Even the weaker topics are intriguing. The Dupree episode was awesome, He could have an NFL great for certain!!!
@Patriot751 In the movie Switzer said his way of handling Dupree, the best player he ever coached - he said this, was the most regrettable thing he EVER did in his coaching career.
Although he was still raw, if he'd went to the NFL over the USFL, I think he would have had a better chance of developing his skills. Damn this soundtrack sux'ed!!!
very good runner who can make people miss. Da only concern i had wit his runnin was his ball security... easily could have stripped it out of him...Jus surprised nobody stripped it though. If he played now and hold da ball lyke dat...Lot of ball strippin would happen. but a good n powerful runnin back who unfortuntely had a short career.
Now Peterson may be the one back that could take down that single season rushing mark. He has that combination of Power and Speed, He reminds me more of dupree, but he is not as big, he also has some good moves. AP has that homerun threat like Dorsett did. I have to say that this might be the guy that if he can stay healthy could be the best, I give him 7 years .......Max and then he is done.
@RSR4EVA He supposedly had amazingly strong hands. His coach Hill in the video, when Marcus taunted him, holding a football in one hand and moving it around in front of him, the coach couldn't pull it away from him
@Meni69 He didn't need blockers in high school. There were plenty of videos out of 3 guys with their arms around him and he just kept running, carrying the little high school kids.
@Meni69 He wasn't well liked by his teammates. He was a very individualistic player. Never showed up for practice. Switzer even said that in an interview about Dupree. Also said that Dupree didn't really like playing football.
Dupree was a unit,had the skills 2!But I reckon Jonah Lomu was better!!He was doing the same stuff against grown men at International level and without 'Blockers'!!He had good people looking after him as well.
This guy was a cross between Earl Campbell and Bo Jackson...just an incredible back. I f he would've taken the proper channels to the pros he would've been an absolute nightmare...but I guess we'll never know. I will label him as the biggest "waste of talent" I've ever seen...hands down!!!!
@heynow123ism I'm not criticizing Marcus. I'm just saying he wasn't ready for the big stage of Oklahoma. He didn't know how to react to Switzer. That was before his knee injury. He consistently came to practice overweight and didn't really have to prepare the way others did, due to his amazing talent. He even says himself that he should have went back to Oklahoma. He chose to go back to the small Mississsippi college where he felt more comfortable. Regardless, he seems like a great guy.
@Meni69 I saw the ESPN film last night. It was profoundly sad in my opinion. What a waste. Barry Switzer has a bit of responsibility for what happened, and I think he admitted that in so many words in the film. And people wonder if there is anything to all these allegations surrounding Cam Newton and money. They need to watch the film.
@funktuall That's yo business. Your opinion is different from others. If you don't like it do as you please. But he doesn't have to change the music because of one persons opinion.
This is great footage but this video clip is terrible because of the unlistenable music you attached to it. When somebody moves as graceful as Marcus, you need some funky jazz fusion. Had to mute it almost immediately.
Hock films asked me to send them the dvd that was the source for the 3 vids, and they said they used some of the clips. wohoooo. i'm debating a football writer than Marcus could have been better than Bo Jackson
i saw the film the best that never was its to bad he broke his knee he really was "the best that never was " i mean he was 6'3" 280 pounds ran a 9.5 100 meter and he could juke/break tackles
@drumba5 I really hate when people come on hear and try to pretend like they know what they are talking about. He was 235 and ran a 9.5 100 yard dash wich is roughly and 10.4 maybe 10.3 100 meter depending on his top end speed. T
You know all those players you mentioned fumbled more than Peterson has 6 years into their career. If you're going to knock a player at least knock them for something you didn't make up in that little head of yours.
@SuperKnight3744 First of all, ALL opinions differ from others. I never asked him change it either. Simply offering some free advice as I often do on my very popular youtube channel about music education. If you can't hear how the whiny voices contrast with Marcus' running, that's yo business. Peace
Peterson would be irrelevant if Dupree had been able to finish his career. Seriously. Dupree was physically and developmentally better than Peterson. Even in today's football.
Marcus Dupree is way better than Lomu. I've seen Lomu play and he's not as good. Dupree could bench over 400 lbs. as a senior in high school and still ran the 100 meter dash in 9.5 seconds at 230 lbs. in weight. No one could run that fast at his size and age. He was a prodigy.
@30293952 Yeah Lomu was on steroids!Island steroids-"Taro",Yeah Rugby is different,we have more players on the field to run through & don't wear Pads & Helmets either!!
says who? you? who cares. sport isnt about speculation its about results and performances. even if what you say is true and he is physically better than peterson (i dont agree but hey who am i) doesnt mean he has the mental ability to produce week in week out. the bottom line is peterson is one of the best ever, has the record for most yards in a game etc. dupree has not done these things, therefore he is not as good. everyone has a story just cos one guys story gets told changes nothing
People always try to blame Switzer. I'm not sure if anyone really could have "handled" him right not knowing that he needed handling. Hindsite 20/20. I remembered watching him playing and seeing him get loose on about every team he ever played against. He had magic in his stride and ran like no one I had ever seen. Maybe he wasnt meant for it all, maybe he is right where he is supposed to be. I can tell you this, I find a lot of joy watching him run. Take care, Marcus....
The most emotional part of the documentary was when Hock showed Marcus the old H.S. clips. Marcus was looking at them as a fan like me and all of you were, just in awww of every move. You could literally see him asking himself in his mind if that was really him??? Was I really that good?? You could see him wondering what his life would be like now if things worked out differently, if he had made different decisions.
The guy was a total STUD...best college runnig back I ever saw (before or since). If he would've made it to the NFL people would be chasing his records. A lot of things went wrong for him though (some self-inflicted, some not) and what I saw in the documentary was a man with a lot of regrets. I honestly think Switzer's problem was "there can only be one big dog in Oklahoma"...what an egomaniac...
Ex Georgia Tech star/Eddie Lee Ivery set NCAA record, 356yds/game.Packers drafted him #1 in 79. 3rd carry/1st game at Chicago when they had turf, he blows his knee. Came back in 80, had a good year, 821yds. 81 season starts, 1st game at Chicago, blows his knee on his 14th carry. 82 was a strike year, 9 games, but he only showed flashes & lost a step or 2 also. Then he got into drinking, coke, went to rehab. Injured his knee in 84 or 85 & he retired as a slot WR after 86. Sad.
@jlangston23 Well, he did get drafted to the USFL but injuries ended his career. After Walter Payton encouraged him to come back years later, he did make it with the Rams, but he wasn't very effective and eventually got cut. He was never the same after the knee injury. But since then, his life's been good. He's been very successful, been an executive several times owns some successful businesses. So his life turned out great.
I still have the sports Illustraded cover with him with glasses and the weight plate. when I was 10 I thought he was the greatest running back and I idolized him, until I saw another running back from the same state. You know who I am talking about. No one, no one was ever was like Barry. End of story. I've seen them all for last 30 plus years. Barry the most talented runner I have ever seen
I have the Arizona St v. Oklahoma bowl game & he was a man among boys. He had the style & speed of Eric Dickerson but bigger. What was DuPree, 6'3" 235lbs? He left the bowl game a couple of times (injuies? to rest?) & still rushed for over 200yds. He was AMAZING!!!!!!!! What happened to him, aside from the knee surgery?
Reading The Courting of Marcus Dupree for the first time, and I just had to see how great he was. The book said he wasn't as big as Earl Campbell, but he was faster. And he wasn't as fast as Herschel Walker, but bigger. The perfect combo. And the book was right. Rad.
I heard he's got a good life, shows trotting horses, travels around, has won many trophies. fts a pity he couldn't have realized his full potential as a running back but that's life. Football's not everything. He's happy, many famous footballers and others are not.
@Meni69 Im from Alabama and until i saw that documentary last nite my mind was conviced that Bo Jackson was the greatest runningback of all time HS-Pro...But i dont know now after seeing this guy....I dont know though...they are awfully similiar so its hard to tell...but bo was about same size and ran just as fast if not faster.....bo ran like a 10.3 in the 100 meter in track.....thats is amazingly fast for a guy his size...i think he actually ran faster than that but i cant remember..
Dupree was 6 feet, 3 inches tall and weighed 235 sculpted pounds. He ran a 9.5 100-yard dash and bench-pressed 400 pounds with ease. And, at that size, he had Gale Sayers-like moves. You watch those film clips and you will see that the biggest kid on the field makes the rest of them look like they are in slow motion.
