ESPN 30 for 30 on Marcus Dupree

[colleyvillesooner]

Bill Simmons posted this on twitter:


Just saw 1 more @30for30 rough cut: "The Best That Never Was." Probably my favorite rough cut yet. Two words: Marcus Dupree

Asked him in what light it painted OU/Switzer buy I doubt he answers.

Can't wait for this one to air.

[Shakadoodoo]

That will not last the whole 30 min - Marcus Dupree is not in good enough shape to go the whole 30 min - I give it 18 minutes tops. lol - He would have been one of the greatest if he had any work ethic.

[Mississippi Sooner]

Believe it or not, Marcus is still a legend here in East Mississippi.

The hype for his son, Marquez, was nowhere near the level that it had been for Marcus back in the day, but there was still never an empty seat at the stadium at Kemper County High when he was playing. Nowdays, Marquez is helping his dad and Fred McAfee put on football camps around the area. They had one over in Philadelphia just last month.

I wouldn't have believed it in the way he was always flaking off before, during and after his short stay at OU, but Marcus has managed to keep himself afloat from one little adventure to the next.

[Mad Dog Madsen]

When does this come on???

[sooner518]

agh cant wait. any idea on when this will actually air?

[rawlingsHOH]

That will not last the whole 30 min - Marcus Dupree is not in good enough shape to go the whole 30 min - I give it 18 minutes tops. lol - He would have been one of the greatest if he had any work ethic.

aren't they usually an hour?

[delhalew]

Been hearing about this forevr it seems. I wish they would air it.
Hell the Matt Hoffman flick is already on DVD and has yet to air.

[Shakadoodoo]

aren't they usually an hour?

Your probably right - my mistake.

[Dio]

Asked him in what light it painted OU/Switzer buy I doubt he answers.



Like you have to ask.

Bill Simmons sucks big green donkey dicks.

[OUDizzle]

When does this come on???

Dec 11th, 2010

http://30for30.espn.com/film/the-best-that-never-was.html

[Crucifax Autumn]

I can't wait. Been looking forward to it since first hearing they were doing it.

I'll probably end up in tears though, knowing how great he shoulda been.

[pweitkem]

Hope they talk about how he exited Norman. One of our neighbors not to be named had, ahem, loaned Marcus a Toronado and my dad got a late night call that he had to go to Missisippi with said neighbor. Marcus had driven the new Oldsmobile into a field in Mississippi, it apparently ran out of gas and he simply walked away. Our neighbor never heard from Marcus again... much like the Sooner nation never heard from Marcus after he walked from the program.

[SunnySooner]

Yeah, I don't think Marcus was what you'd call "responsible". He was just a big ole mama's boy who wasn't ready to be a grown up yet. Takes some people longer than others, ya know? He sure could run the football, though. I remember the "Dupree Cam"--anyone else remember that? That had one camera in the broadcast that would stay focused solely on Marcus whenever he was on the field, because you just never knew when he was gonna bust one for 80 yards, and they didn't want to miss a moment of it. What could have been, sad, too bad his mental and emotional maturity didn't match his physical maturity and abilities.

[swardboy]

Hope they talk about how he exited Norman. One of our neighbors not to be named had, ahem, loaned Marcus a Toronado and my dad got a late night call that he had to go to Missisippi with said neighbor. Marcus had driven the new Oldsmobile into a field in Mississippi, it apparently ran out of gas and he simply walked away. Our neighbor never heard from Marcus again... much like the Sooner nation never heard from Marcus after he walked from the program.


Oh man, you should have called the producers back in July....hope this is part of their story; it defines the guy.

[Crucifax Autumn]

Regardless of all that, the guy was the biggest pure talent ever to run the ball.

Yeah, I'm still pizzed at him too, but no one can deny his raw talent and ability.

[texaspokieokie]

he had fantastic "potential" !!!!

Dizzy Dean (or someone) said (to paraphrase) potential means you ain't done it yet.

[KantoSooner]

For those too young to have personal memories, go to youtube and watch the guy run the ball.
He could have been in any backfield at anytime and it would have been a man among boys. And I include the pros.

[NOVSooner]

i posted this in another thread a while back but this is from our paper in mississippi that did a follow-up on Dupree and what he's up to now:

http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?category=PluckPersona&U=22c0f74c7bd248eb99cb1bcb4cd00bb7&plckPersonaPage=BlogViewPost&plckUserId=22c0f74c7bd248eb99cb1bcb4cd00bb7&plckPostId=Blog%3a22c0f74c7bd248eb99cb1bcb4cd00bb7 Post%3a629540ae-ebd0-440d-8b5c-0f8299661d63&plckController=PersonaBlog&plckScript=personaScript&plckElementId=personaDest

[Sooner04]

The most naturally gifted football player we ever had here at Oklahoma.

Too bad he's the most gargantuan waste of talent to ever put on shoulder pads.

[TMcGee86]

I was one of the 30 people that they decided to do, so all of it is an honor. At least I know I did something right

Well, good to see he still hasn't changed. :rolleyes:

[85sooners]

:pop:

[primetime43]

How did he compare physically to AD?

[Sooner in Tampa]

I just get sad everytime I hear the name Marcus Dupree...and I think damn...what could have been!

[rawlingsHOH]

How did he compare physically to AD?

Thicker frame, not as violent. Similar speed.

[Sooner04]

Thicker frame, not as violent. Similar speed.
And 25 years ahead of him.

God, what a freak that dude was. The run against Missouri is an all-timer.

[pweitkem]

Marcus Dupree was like Earl Campbell with breakaway speed.

[KantoSooner]

How did he compare physically to AD?

Stronger, a tad faster and with a better burst. he also had a weird glide motion that rivalled AD's balance in terms of shaking off would be tacklers.

AD had/has a superior brain and work ethic, however.

[rawlingsHOH]

Marcus Dupree was like Earl Campbell with breakaway speed.

Didn't run nearly as physical.

[primetime43]

Evidently the fiesta bowl is legendary. Still holds the rushing record for that bowl.

[Sooner04]

And he did it while dinged up and overweight.

I think it was 239 yards. If the game had been played in October he would've rushed for over 300. Watch the tape, it's incredible.

[KantoSooner]

The Fiesta Bowl, I think, was where he racked up the yards....and played less than a half?

He butchered linebackers like dull beasts.

[Mad Dog Madsen]

Yeah he only had like 17 carries and had 239 yards and was pretty banged up. (ribs, broken finger) He could have won the Heisman his sophomore year...

http://i.cdn.turner.com/sivault/si_online/covers/images/1983/0620_large.jpg

[Sooner04]

He got some huge runs in that game because the ASU coaches were adamant that the DBs and LBs took the longest routes possible to closing off his big runs. They'd take HUGE angles to close him off, because they knew they had no chance of holding him to a 20-yard gain. They'd give up 40, and hope it kept him from a touchdown.

[primetime43]

He got some huge runs in that game because the ASU coaches were adamant that the DBs and LBs took the longest routes possible to closing off his big runs. They'd take HUGE angles to close him off, because they knew they had no chance of holding him to a 20-yard gain. They'd give up 40, and hope it kept him from a touchdown.

I guess that strategy worked cause we got the loss.

[LePetomaine]

A good read, if you're interested : "The Courting of Marcus Dupree", by Willie Morris. Tells all about him, his family, and Philadelphia, Miss. Morris (actually a UT grad) spent the entire football season living there, chating up folks, etc. As I read the book, I think that the Dupree story was really just a back-drop to re-visit Philadelphia; as Marcus' senior year was the 20th (or 25th?) anniversary of some very bad goings on in Neshoba County. Either way, good writing, good stories.

[Mississippi Sooner]

A good read, if you're interested : "The Courting of Marcus Dupree", by Willie Morris. Tells all about him, his family, and Philadelphia, Miss. Morris (actually a UT grad) spent the entire football season living there, chating up folks, etc. As I read the book, I think that the Dupree story was really just a back-drop to re-visit Philadelphia; as Marcus' senior year was the 20th (or 25th?) anniversary of some very bad goings on in Neshoba County. Either way, good writing, good stories.

It was close to the 20th anniversary of the Mississippi Burning case which happened in 1964 (the murders of Cheney, Schwerner and Goodman).

But I can understand his point. The difference in Neshoba county in the early 80s versus the early 60s was like night and day. The very notion that there would be all this to-do about a black athlete in east Mississippi just a generation before would have been unthinkable.

[LePetomaine]

It was close to the 20th anniversary of the Mississippi Burning case which happened in 1964 (the murders of Cheney, Schwerner and Goodman).

But I can understand his point. The difference in Neshoba county in the early 80s versus the early 60s was like night and day. The very notion that there would be all this to-do about a black athlete in east Mississippi just a generation before would have been unthinkable.

Yup, you have placed your finger precisely on the point of the book.

[Mississippi Sooner]

I live here and can still feel some of those old open wounds.

But it's getting better with each passing year. It really is.

And, not trying to get too far off track, but Willie Morris is a legend among Mississippi authors.

[bluedogok]

He was another one of those who was failed by his upbringing. He never had to do anything he didn't want in jr. high or high school, he didn't even really practice in high school. To me that is the fault of the coaches and parental figures to not instill some sort of work ethic. For awhile he thought Switzer was a hard-*** coach....

All-World physical gifts and a box of rocks for brains...