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BigRedTradition
11/10/2005, 04:40 PM
Hello, Sooner fans. Greetings from Husker land. Just wondering- where do Sooner fans hold Marcus Dupree in terms of great OU running backs? How do you compare Peterson to Dupree? Where does Dupree rank?

fesperman58
11/10/2005, 04:41 PM
He doesn't rank anywhere near the top in my book......

Widescreen
11/10/2005, 04:43 PM
Good question.

Dupree could have been the greatest running back to ever play the game. Unfortunately, he didn't have his head screwed on right and I also think he was being given bad advice.

Peterson may not be quite as talented but he has the drive and determination that he could make himself the greatest. I'd much rather have this kind of player.

1stTimeCaller
11/10/2005, 04:44 PM
Dupree was amazing to watch. I was a little kid when he played but he was amazing. I'm not gonna compare Dupree to AD though.

BigRedTradition
11/10/2005, 04:45 PM
Why do you call Peterson 'AD'? Wouldn't he be 'AP'? Help?

BOOMERBRADLEY
11/10/2005, 04:46 PM
I have never watched any clips with Dupree in them, so I can't give an honest opinion. Plus if you take into account that they say AD is the best to come along since Hershel Walker I have so sway my opinion towards AD being the best.

BOOMERBRADLEY
11/10/2005, 04:49 PM
Dear Husker (http://www.soonerfans.com/forums/faq.php?)

BigRedTradition
11/10/2005, 04:51 PM
Well, I've seen Dupree, and I thought he was amazing. Seems runnning backs are just bigger today. Taller, longer legs. I've always kind of liked shorter running backs, like Barry Sanders. That being said, I don't have any idea how tall Dupree was/is.

jk the sooner fan
11/10/2005, 04:52 PM
Barry Switzer has him near the top of his list.....

BigRedTradition
11/10/2005, 04:53 PM
Boomerbradley--

Thanks.

SoCal
11/10/2005, 04:54 PM
Marcus Dupree FR RB 1982 1,144 146 12 7.84


http://img434.imageshack.us/img434/4359/1fd9da808wp.jpg

The guy was so out of shape in the Fiesta Bowl he couldn't play in the second half. He was something special...but

Big Red Ron
11/10/2005, 04:58 PM
As a matter of sheer raw talent I would list OU RB's something like this...

1) Billy
2) AD
3) Marcus
4) Demond
5) Gaddis

DarrellZero
11/10/2005, 05:00 PM
Marcus is and will remain a curiosity. A poster child for unrealized potential.

He is not among the greats. Great players have heart. Marcus had none.

Harry Beanbag
11/10/2005, 05:01 PM
Well, I've seen Dupree, and I thought he was amazing. Seems runnning backs are just bigger today. Taller, longer legs. I've always kind of liked shorter running backs, like Barry Sanders. That being said, I don't have any idea how tall Dupree was/is.

Dupree was huge for a RB in his day. From what I remember he was at least 6' tall and pushing 240 on some days.

DarrellZero
11/10/2005, 05:02 PM
Well, I've seen Dupree, and I thought he was amazing. Seems runnning backs are just bigger today. Taller, longer legs. I've always kind of liked shorter running backs, like Barry Sanders. That being said, I don't have any idea how tall Dupree was/is.

This might just be my perception, but Marcus seemed like he was built weirdly. It looked like his legs were too long for his body.

jk the sooner fan
11/10/2005, 05:04 PM
before the texas game this year, Switzer, during an interview with the Hardline radio show on the ticket, said that in terms of pure talent, nobody came close to Dupree

i think he was referring to backs that he coached......

obviously, talent and potential doesnt always pan out like we hope.....and didnt he have close to 250 yards rushing in the first half of that fiesta bowl?

BigRedTradition
11/10/2005, 05:04 PM
Dupree was huge for a RB in his day. From what I remember he was at least 6' tall and pushing 240 on some days.

That is huge for his day. Man, maybe he was out of shape. Sometimes one's memory is different than reality, and I'm not getting any younger.

oumartin
11/10/2005, 05:04 PM
anybody see his body when he tried out for the rams again in like 1995.. dude was chisled.
I think in ability Marcus had as much as anybody but we will never know for sure.
I am still very partial to Mike Gaddis, Darn Cotton Bowl carpet!

Jimminy Crimson
11/10/2005, 05:06 PM
What could have been with Gaddis. :(

JW would have been our fifth Heisman winner, at minimum.

SoCal
11/10/2005, 05:11 PM
anybody see his body when he tried out for the rams again in like 1995.. dude was chisled.
I think in ability Marcus had as much as anybody but we will never know for sure.
I am still very partial to Mike Gaddis, Darn Cotton Bowl carpet!

I was a Ram season ticket holder back then...Dupree was in shape but he seemed to have no internal fire or love of the game.

400 posts!

FULLSTERKUR
11/10/2005, 05:29 PM
There was a book, i don't remeber the title, about the recruitment of and the first year of Marcus Depree. it was an intresting read... from what I read (high school book report) I remember thinking of him as quite the contradiction of some one so smooth on the field in high school and so popular amoung the coaches who coveted him and then such a train wreck in life and someone who not many people like to talk about or look back on and remember very often years later.

jreed13
11/10/2005, 05:45 PM
1) Little Joe
2) AD
3) Billy Sims
4) Dupree

Texas Golfer
11/10/2005, 06:01 PM
I remember saying, the first time I saw AD run, that he reminded me a lot of Marcus Dupree.

I thought Marcus was one of the best RBs I've ever seen when his head was on his shoulders correctly. It's really sad to think of the lost potential.

westcoast_sooner
11/10/2005, 06:42 PM
1. Billy
2. AD
3. Little Joe
4. Pruitt
5. Marcus
6. Q
7. Steve Owens
8. Gaddis
9. Carr
10. Tillman

Big Red Ron
11/10/2005, 07:14 PM
Not a bad list but Demond Parker has to be way up on any list of OU RB's. Had we not had him we might not have won a game in those last two years with Blake.

I remember when he ran over Shnelly as a redshirt freshman. :D

And combined with Ricky Williams rushed for like 600 yards in one game.

Light Beer
11/11/2005, 12:22 AM
In the 1983 Texas game, SS Richard Pevy hit Dupree so hard he hobbled into the Texas huddle instead of his own huddle after the play.

RUSH LIMBAUGH is my clone!
11/11/2005, 12:26 AM
Marcus DuPree had more talent as a running back than anyone I have ever seen. I'm thinking Sims and AD would be next in line at OU, and comparable in talent.

SOONER44EVER
11/11/2005, 12:32 AM
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcus_Dupree

Marcus Dupree
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Jump to: navigation, search

Marcus DupreeMarcus Dupree was born on May 22, 1964 in Philadelphia, Mississippi, USA. He was one of the most highly recruited high school football players ever. Dupree was so heavily recruited that Willie Morris wrote a book about his recruiting called The Courting of Marcus Dupree.

High School
Marcus played high school football for the Philadelphia High School Tornadoes from 1978 to 1981. As a freshman in 1978, Marcus ran a 4.4 40 yard dash. He had a 75 yard kickoff return touchdown on his first play in high school. He played wide receiver that season and scored 5 touchdowns and had 7 more on kick and punt returns.

As a sophomore in 1979, Marcus was switched to running back and rushed for 1850 yards with 28 touchdowns.

His junior year in 1980, he rushed for 1550 yards with 20 touchdowns. Marcus had 4 more touchdowns on only 5 kick returns.

In 1981, his senior year, Marcus rushed for 1955 yards with 26 touchdowns. He also could run a 4.3 40 yard dash. That gave him 87 high school touchdowns to break the record set by Herschel Walker by one. He finished high school with 5284 rushing yards on 8.3 yards per carry.

Marcus was recruited by several schools that season. Among them were UCLA, Texas A&M, Alabama, Mississippi State, Georgia, Oklahoma, LSU, Southern Miss, and Pittsburgh. Marcus even received a visit from Billy Sims urging him to attend Oklahoma, where Marcus decided to attend.


Dupree runs for Oklahoma[edit]
College
His freshman season at Oklahoma in 1982 had ups and downs. He did not get to start a game until halfway through the season, but he did see action the first half. He had 4 100-yard rushing games including 158 yards against Kansas on October 16, after which he was given the starting tailback position over Stanley Wilson by OU head coach Barry Switzer. He was also named Big 8 Offensive Player of the Week for that game.

Marcus finished the season with 905 yards on 129 carries with 13 touchdowns for a 7.0 yard per carry average. He was named Big 8 Newcomer of the Year and was also named to the AP All-Big 8 first team and to UPI's All-Big 8 second team. A drama professor at Oklahoma even wrote a song about Marcus called "Mr. Marvelous". The November 1982 Sports Illustrated issue featured Marcus on the cover.

On January 1, 1983, Oklahoma played Arizona State in the Fiesta Bowl. Marcus started the game but had to leave 3 times due to injuries. He had an ankle injury, a rib injury and a pulled hamstring. He also broke a finger so he only played half the game. Arizona State won the game but Marcus was still named the MVP of the game due to rushing for 239 yards on only 17 carries. In doing so, he set the rushing record for yards in the Fiesta Bowl.

His sophomore season turned out to be horrible. During the offseason, Coach Switzer trashed his work ethic and this created a bad relationship between the two. Marcus only played in 3 games that season but had 2 100-yard games. He finished with 369 yards on 61 carries with 3 touchdowns. He quit after the 4th game of the season. He transferred to Southern Miss but was told that because of NCAA rules that he would have to sit out the 1984 season, so he left after 3 months.

[edit]
USFL
Marcus was signed by the New Orleans Breakers of the United States Football League in 1984. He gained 684 yards on 145 carries with 9 touchdowns for a 4.7 yards per carry average. He had 2 100-yard rushing games. He was often injured and Buford Jordan was the starting tailback most of that season. Marcus was only 19 years old and a millionaire.

The Breakers moved to Portland, Oregon for the 1985 season. In the first game, Marcus was named the starting tailback but had his knee severely injured on a play while he was sweeping around to the left. This injury ended his USFL career. He had 69 yards on 17 carries with a touchdown.

[edit]
NFL
Marcus tried to comeback during the 1987 National Football League strike with a tryout for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. His knee failed the physical and he seemed to give up on playing again.

Walter Payton met Marcus on some business ventures and urged him to get back into shape to tryout for the NFL again in 1990. Marcus agreed to do so and got back to running a 4.5 40 yard dash and was eventually signed by the Los Angeles Rams. On week 9 of the 1990 season, Marcus got into the game and rushed for 22 yards on 4 carries. He wore number 34 in honor of Payton instead of his usual number 22. He started his first game on week 16 and rushed for 42 yards on 13 carries. He finished his first NFL season with 72 yards on 19 carries.

In 1991, Marcus played more often and scored his only NFL touchdown that season. He finished that season with 179 yards on 49 carries with 1 touchdown.

In 1992, Marcus led the Rams in rushing in the pre-season but was cut by the new owners which ended his NFL career. He finished with 251 yards on 68 carries with 1 touchdown for a 3.7 yards per carry average.

[edit]
Post NFL
Marcus has involved himself in many ventures since then. He was a host for a casino, and a professional wrestler for the USWA in 1995 (He was trained by Tom Prichard). He has 2 sons, Marquez & Landon, who played high school football. He is now the General Manager for the Bossier City Battle Wings in af2, the official minor league of the Arena Football League. In 1999, SI ranked Dupree the #43 best athlete to ever come from Mississippi.

BoomerJack
11/11/2005, 01:10 AM
Nobody has listed Billy Vessels or Tommy MacDonald on their lists. And then there is one of my personal favorite, Joe Don Looney. He was another whose brief OU career elicits the words, "If only..."

RUSH LIMBAUGH is my clone!
11/11/2005, 01:33 AM
I thought Clendon Thomas, in the same Sooner NC backfields as McDonald, was as talented as McDonald. But, DuPree was the best runner I've ever seen ANYWHERE, before or since, before he got all banged up.

SOONER44EVER
11/11/2005, 01:37 AM
I thought Clendon Thomas, in the same Sooner NC backfields as McDonald, was as talented as McDonald. But, DuPree was the best runner I've ever seen ANYWHERE, before or since, before he got all banged up.
Did anyone ever catch Dupree from behind?

RUSH LIMBAUGH is my clone!
11/11/2005, 01:54 AM
Did anyone ever catch Dupree from behind?I dunno. But, even if they did, what would that prove?:confused:

SOONER44EVER
11/11/2005, 01:56 AM
I dunno. But, even if they did, what would that prove?:confused:
Nothing. I just don't remember anyone ever catching him. He was way fast for a big guy.

RUSH LIMBAUGH is my clone!
11/11/2005, 02:02 AM
He was nearly perfect as a runner, with size, vision, cutting ability, and blinding speed. Only problem was his poor attitude. I think he could have established records that would be nearly unassailable. Oh, well, he got a big enough payday, I guess, with that million dollars. Seems a token for what his potential was.

BoomerJack
11/11/2005, 02:12 AM
Did anyone ever catch Dupree from behind?

I believe he was caught from behind during the Fiesta Bowl loss to Wyoming. It's been mentioned that he was somewhat dinged up, out of shape and probably tired.

sooner518
11/11/2005, 03:55 AM
Did anyone ever catch Dupree from behind?
In Switzer's biography "Bootleggers Boy", he says that Dupree was caught from behind towards the end of his career at OU when he had gathered alot of weight. I dont have the book wtih me, or I'd quote it.

I think he talks specifically about the Sun Bowl and how Dupree should have had alot more yards that day except that he had been caught from behind on a few long runs that should have gone for much longer

East Coast Bias
11/11/2005, 07:43 AM
I was around back then and watched a lot of his games... Marcus could have been the best ever, no doubt. Switzer was right about him, and that has always been Switzers best ability, evaluating talent. I will always remember one game against Texas where he ran over a DB head-on, actually running through and on his body. AD and Marcus are cut off the same cloth, big, strong, fast and shiffty. Marcus never worked on his skills, but he had as much talent and ability as anyone to come along.

AlbqSooner
11/11/2005, 08:23 AM
Marcus and Joe Don Looney are cut from the same cloth also. Both had amazing talent but viewed life through a different set of eyes than most people.

Marcus, had he had his head screwed down tight, could have been one of the best ever to play at OU, if not THE best. Shame his talent was wasted.

I may be wrong, but I recall that he was in the 6'2-6'3 range and I know he was around 235-240.

tennsooner
11/11/2005, 08:53 AM
Years ago I read an article about a defensive back that played for Missouri during the Dupree era. The article was titled " The fastest cat in the jungle". He told that when they played Oklahoma his only assignment was to run Dupree down from behind once he broke free. He said he knew it was going to be a long day when the first time Marcus broke loose he pulled in behind him by about three yards and when Dupree hit the goal line 40 yards later he was about 7 yards behind. He went on to say he would have bet anyone any amount of money prior to that happening that no one could have done that.
Dupree was some kind of special.

OUDoc
11/11/2005, 09:03 AM
I may be wrong, but I recall that he was in the 6'2-6'3 range and I know he was around 235-240.
Yes. When I met him, he was at least that tall (unless he grew taller after college).

SOONER44EVER
11/11/2005, 09:07 AM
Yes. When I met him, he was at least that tall (unless he grew taller after college).
I met him too when he first arrived at OU. He was wearing orange cowboy boots that he said Texas gave him. He had thick glasses and more baby fat than most offensive lineman have. The guy looked like anything but a football player. I still don't know how he was that good.

azzbakwardz
11/11/2005, 09:31 AM
Dupree was an awsome back - all other things aside, he was one of those backs that you held your breath every time he got his hands on the ball, tragic waste tho......too bad.

azzbakwardz
11/11/2005, 09:42 AM
The best I can remember is that Dupree was a lot more fluid than AD is, just very smooth when he ran, at least early on anyway.
I dont care who you throw out there to compare Dupree with, most dont come close, Bo Jackson does IMO, if I was gonna compare for some type of visual for anyone, Bo would be it, very fast, fluid and powerful, he would be about it, close as I can think of anyway. Cept that Dupree was a little bigger than Bo.
Boomer!

TheHumanAlphabet
11/11/2005, 11:18 AM
Nut


Job!

Texas Golfer
11/11/2005, 11:28 AM
Did anyone ever catch Dupree from behind?

He did toward the end of his career at OU. He gained a lot of weight which prompted Switzer's "work ethic" comment. The extra weight slowed Dupree down considerably. I think it also contributed to his rash of injuries.

I'd have to agree with Switzer's analysis of Dupree. He was one of the best backs I've ever seen but his attitude got the better of him and he wasted what could have been a great NFL career.

jk the sooner fan
11/11/2005, 11:44 AM
my favorite Dupree touchdown run.....against Mizzou...hand off up the middle, big hole, middle linebacker there waiting for him......Dupree puts said MLB on his ***, and turns up field full speed.....outruns the fastest player (safety) on the mizzou team, 75ish yards........paydirt

strenght, speed......nasty

sooneron
11/11/2005, 11:44 AM
I believe he was caught from behind during the Fiesta Bowl loss to Wyoming. It's been mentioned that he was somewhat dinged up, out of shape and probably tired.
WYOMING?????

It was ASu in their back yard!

BoomerJack
11/11/2005, 12:15 PM
Sooneron, you're right; it was ASU. I had the years wrong about the Fiesta Bowl

sooner518
11/11/2005, 12:24 PM
does anyone know of any online videos of Dupree that I could download? I've never seen a video of him playing and I'd realy like to see what all the hype was about

RUSH LIMBAUGH is my clone!
11/11/2005, 03:02 PM
I remember being at the OU-tx game in '82 or '83, and on one carry he busted out of the pack. I was sitting right in front of the breakaway, and it tooked like everyone else was running in slow motion. He went the distance to score. I sure was sorry to see him turn into a head case and quit the program.

TexasBoomer
11/11/2005, 05:12 PM
For those who remember Earl Campbell (UT Heisman) winner, Marcus ran like that. He could run through you or by you. Didn't look like he had speed by the way he ran but he had great speed. Great talent but no desire to play the game. Switzer thought Marcus the best running talent that he had coached or maybe it was recruited.
AD will prove to be the greatest ever at OU if he stays 4 years.

PDTsooner
11/11/2005, 06:25 PM
Where does Lydell Carr rank?

Big Red Ron
11/11/2005, 06:55 PM
Where does Lydell Carr rank?I'd bet close to the bottom of the top TEN all time Sooner tailbacks, ahead of some great backs and behind some great backs.

Rocker
11/11/2005, 06:58 PM
my favorite Dupree touchdown run.....against Mizzou...hand off up the middle, big hole, middle linebacker there waiting for him......Dupree puts said MLB on his ***, and turns up field full speed.....outruns the fastest player (safety) on the mizzou team, 75ish yards........paydirt

strenght, speed......nasty

I will NEVER FORGET THAT PLAY!!!

Marcus could have been the best ever.

But we will never know.

CatfishSooner
11/11/2005, 07:11 PM
coulda shoulda woulda...

BigRedTradition
11/11/2005, 07:44 PM
Ok, Sooners. Who wants some of this?


http://cgi.ebay.com/Marcus-Dupree-autographed-8x10-Oklahoma-Sooners-1_W0QQitemZ8720218185QQcategoryZ73403QQrdZ1QQcmdZV iewItem

BigRedTradition
11/11/2005, 07:47 PM
More Dupree:
http://www.draftdaddy.com/prospects/marcusDupree.cfm

Apologies if someone already posted this link.

Big Red Ron
11/11/2005, 07:54 PM
http://www.draftdaddy.com/images/players/marcusDupree2.jpg

He looks like Dave Chappell as Rick James.

OUDoc
11/11/2005, 08:44 PM
I can't hear "Rick James" without "bitch" following it anymore. :D

Octavian
11/11/2005, 09:18 PM
SI consistently stirred **** up for OU and cast us in a negative light in the 80s. No love. The Marcus cover. When we beat Penn St., the SI machine relegated Jamelle's pic to the top left hand corner. When we were 10-0 in 87, SI's covered asked, "Sure, their undefeated, but do they deserve to be #1?" (The following cover made them eat crow). Miami apparently "whipped" OU by the devastating score of 20-14, as proclaimed by our next SI cover appearance. And finally, the orange jumpsuit cover. Indeed, Barry was a fun target for many...

RUSH LIMBAUGH is my clone!
11/11/2005, 10:56 PM
I think you can safely say that to this day, we get NO help from the media. We never have, and I see no signs of it changing.

BigRedTradition
11/11/2005, 11:14 PM
I think you can safely say that to this day, we get NO help from the media. We never have, and I see no signs of it changing.

Darn coast bias. It gets quite tiring, doesn't it?

SOONER44EVER
11/12/2005, 12:33 AM
my favorite Dupree touchdown run.....against Mizzou...hand off up the middle, big hole, middle linebacker there waiting for him......Dupree puts said MLB on his ***, and turns up field full speed.....outruns the fastest player (safety) on the mizzou team, 75ish yards........paydirt

strenght, speed......nasty
Was that the play when Dupree and the DB were both on about the 50 yard line and when Dupree crossed the goal line the DB was 10 yards behind him?

Soonerus
11/12/2005, 12:37 AM
my favorite Dupree touchdown run.....against Mizzou...hand off up the middle, big hole, middle linebacker there waiting for him......Dupree puts said MLB on his ***, and turns up field full speed.....outruns the fastest player (safety) on the mizzou team, 75ish yards........paydirt

strenght, speed......nasty

That is actually one of the best touchdown runs of all time !!!!

d.stOUgh
11/12/2005, 12:42 AM
Never mind...C.R.S.

Down Field Pitch
11/12/2005, 10:32 AM
When measured on raw talent there is and has been no back in his league.
Bo Jackson / Hershell in college likely the closest.

A dirty shame. Got injured because of the bad conditioning and continued that trend in the USFL. Might have happened all the way through an OU carreer who knows.

It was extremely fun to watch that year and dream of the possibilities. AD is no slouch and has already proven better long haul.

AbsolutSooner
11/13/2005, 12:14 AM
Well I was born in 1981, so I can't comment from experience, however the best source of any information that is Sooner (for me anyway) has always been my father.

We actually spoke about Dupree today, and my dad called him "the best running back he'd ever seen at OU." That's an impressive statement, becuase he's seen just about everyone that has been listed in this thread.

My understanding is that Dupree was a big back who could simply run right over anyone foolish enough to get into his running lane. Like a freight train so to speak. Pops described him as "big, strong, and fast."

At any rate, I think the concensus is that he was one of the great's, easily a top 5 of OU backs, and that he had the talent and ablility to be number one if it were not for the circumstances and/or his poor life management.

Eielson
11/13/2005, 09:39 AM
Hello, Sooner fans. Greetings from Husker land. Just wondering- where do Sooner fans hold Marcus Dupree in terms of great OU running backs? How do you compare Peterson to Dupree? Where does Dupree rank?
Considering that neither one has played more than two years I would say they are about equal. But when AD plays another year or two I would rate him ahead of Dupree. Dupree seemed to be out of shape.

soonerjace
11/13/2005, 10:50 AM
True.thats why he left OU.

Pigface1
4/22/2006, 05:16 PM
1. Billy Sims
2. Joe Washington
3. AD
4. Greg Pruitt
5. Quentin Griffen
6. Marcus Dupree
7. Spencer Tillman

hmmm

Big Red Ron
4/22/2006, 05:29 PM
1. Billy Sims
2. AD
3. Little Joe
4. Greg Pruitt
5. Quentin Griffen
6. Demond Parker
7. Spencer Tillman

Fixed that fer ya.

Dupree doesn't get credit for potential and not get dinged for being a quitter. Not top ten.

Pigface1
4/22/2006, 05:40 PM
Well techically Barry Sanders only had one good season at OSU, that doesn't stop him from being arguably the greatest RB in college history. I hate OSU, but still.

Yards per carry leaders. .

1.
Greg Pruitt
JR
RB
1971
1,760
196
18
8.98

2.
Marcus Dupree
FR
RB
1982
1,144
146
12
7.84

3.
Billy Sims
JR
RB
1978
1,896
256
22
7.41

4.
Joe Washington
JR
RB
1974
1,321
194
12
6.81

5.
Billy Sims
SR
RB
1979
1,670
248
23
6.73

6.
Joe Washington
SO
RB
1973
1,173
176
9
6.67

7.
De'Mond Parker
FR
RB
1996
1,184
180
10
6.58

8.
Quentin Griffin
SR
RB
2002
1,884
287
15
6.57

9.
Stanley Wilson
JR
RB
1981
1,095
168
4
6.52

10.
Billy Vessels
SR
RB
1952
1,072
167
17
6.42

11.
Buck McPhail
SR
RB
1952
1,018
161
8
6.32

12.
Jerald Moore
JR
RB
1995
1,001
165
9
6.07

13.
Joe Wylie
SO
RB
1970
1,052
175
13
6.01

14.
Greg Pruitt
SR
RB
1972
1,024
173
13
5.92

15.
De'Mond Parker
SO
RB
1997
1,143
194
6
5.89

16.
Jack Mildren
SR
QB
1971
1,289
223
20
5.78

17.
Adrian Peterson
FR
RB
2004
1,925
339
15
5.68

18.
Mike Gaddis
SR
RB
1991
1,344
241
17
5.58

19.
Spencer Tillman
FR
RB
1983
1,047
188
9
5.57

20.
De'Mond Parker
JR
RB
1998
1,076
205
5
5.25

21.
Adrian Peterson
SO
RB
2005
1,104
221
14
5.00

22.
Waymon Clark
JR
RB
1973
1,014
209
6
4.85

23.
Steve Owens
SR
RB
1969
1,523
358
23
4.25

24.
Steve Owens
JR
RB
1968
1,649
393
21
4.20

stoopified
4/22/2006, 05:46 PM
Good question.

Dupree could have been the greatest running back to ever play the game. Unfortunately, he didn't have his head screwed on right and I also think he was being given bad advice.

Peterson may not be quite as talented but he has the drive and determination that he could make himself the greatest. I'd much rather have this kind of player.My feelings exactly.Do you have ESP?:cool:

stoops the eternal pimp
4/22/2006, 05:49 PM
Too me its hard to compare backs old and new considering the depth of the defensive play calling now...and the disparity between the talent of the 70s and 80s teams and everybody else in the conference...Reading the What it Means to be a Sooner book, it seemed OU had a firm grip on most of the top players without scholarship limits.

soonerboy112
4/23/2006, 02:08 AM
ya know, looking at the stuff on soonerscooter.com of joe washington (who id never seen before, only used in NCAA Football for ps2 on some classic teams) he is like reggie bush of his time, maybe better. some of that stuff was just incredible, like the one where he prob didnt gain a single yard but backtracked like 30 and then made it all up when he shoulda lost at least 20..he just slipped by everyone he looked amazing, anyone know any other places to find videos of him?

SOONER44EVER
4/23/2006, 03:07 AM
The guy was good enough in highschool they wrote a book about him. Rumor is he never or rarely practiced in highschool! If Marcus and AD were both coming out of highschool today Marcus would be the #1 recruit.

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0878055851.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

SOONER44EVER
4/23/2006, 03:14 AM
http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:5KXcTVZcGzgJ:www.draftdaddy.com/features/marcusDupree.cfm+%22courting+of+marcus%22&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=7

Who was Marcus Dupree?

an education for the young-bloods who think there's something new under the sun


by Glenn B.
last updated: 12/23/04

This look back was prompted by all this talk of Adrian Peterson, the freshman sensation out of Oklahoma. He's not the only one to set the world on fire right out of the gate. For all those draftniks who have visions of freshmen dancing in their head this holiday season here's a tale with a similar beginning.

Running back Marcus Dupree (6' 2", 225) possessed brute force and blazing speed. He was, perhaps, the most highly recruited high school football player who ever lived. Every major university in the country was banging down his door, trying to sign him to a letter of intent.

At 17 years of age and as a high school senior he was the most talked about athlete in Mississippi. But, he finally settled on Oklahoma and rushed for 905 Yards as a true freshman for the Sooners, even though he was often in and out of the lineup with nagging injuries--which was only the beginning of the fate his career would soon meet.

That season, as a true freshman, he rushed for 240 Yards in the Fiesta Bowl in only one half of football alone, missing the second half after sustaining a pulled hamstring--once again a portend of things to come.



After his freshman year and following a dispute with then Sooners head coach Barry Switzer, Dupree transferred to Southern Miss, at which point the college bureaucracy stepped in and made it clear to Dupree he would need to sit out two years before he could play a down of football for Southern Miss.

One year later the courts would decide the newly formed United States Football League (USFL) could sign Herschal Walker after his freshman season. And while the NFL was still not an option for Dupree, the door was now opened for this young man to get back into the game via this newly formed league. This course led him to the New Orleans Breakers in 1984.

Dupree eventually signed with the Breakers right before their season was to begin and he may not have been in ideal playing shape, having missed a year of football, the entire pre-season and being only 19 years old at the time. New Orleans decided to break Dupree in slowly as they made him a backup in his first year of pro ball

As a backup seeing only spot duty in 1984 Dupree showed amazing flashes of brilliance, and amazing flashes of things to come, as he rushed for 684 Yards and 9 TD's. 1985 was to be the year the Breakers would unleash Marcus Dupree as their feature back, after being brought along slowly at the tender age of 19. Dupree was to be unleashed, no holds barred, in 1985



But 1984 was the last time anyone would see the real Marcus Dupree. Dupree would miss all of 1985 after blowing out his knee in the pre-season, and then miss all of 1986 for the same reason, when he blew out his other knee

For all intents and purposes Marcus Dupree was done. There was an attempted comeback in 1990 with the Rams (had a total of 251 NFL rush yards and 1 TD in 1990 and 1991), but it was clear Marcus Dupree was a shell of his former self. So immensely talented was Marcus Dupree prior to his knee injuries that the 49ers brought him in for a look in 1992 just to get a look at him at fullback , but once again it was soon apparent that both the knees and the player were done. He was 28 years old when the 49ers cut him.

And thus the story of the Greatest running back most young folks never heard of. In 1993, author Willie Morris wrote a book about the young man from Mississippi and the circus atmosphere that surrounded his recruiting; perhaps unlike any player has ever been recruited before or since as every major university in the nation made the acquisition of Marcus Dupree priority #1 times a thousand.

The book was titled "The Courting of Marcus Dupree" and debuted to moderate success. Marcus's cousin Fred McAfee was a running back for the Saints and his son Marquez played for the Crimson Tide but did not remain with the team through to graduation. But through all of this where has Marcus gone since his playing days?

Eventually Dupree landed a gig as scout for the Edmonton Eskimos and later became the General Manager of the Bossler City Battle Wings, an Arena2 League team.

Last summer, Dupree spoke with Redskins vice president of football operations Vinny Cerrato, who brought him into the organization; Dupree has been scouting college talent on the West Coast.

“I think my tenacity helps, and the fact that I know athletes is a plus,” he said. “To me, scouting can be like playing football in the backyard. You want to get the best player on your team. That’s what I look at: Who can play and who can’t.”

BoomerJack
4/23/2006, 06:02 AM
Not mentioned in Glenn B's narrative was the fact that between Dupree's freshman and soph. yrs, he wasn't in Norman for off-season workouts. Understandably, that did not sit well with Switzer, the staff and, of course, his teammates.

When he came to pre-season practices in summer of his Soph. year, he was out of shape and never did get there. OU played Ohio State in Norman that year. In "Bootlegger's Boy", Barry said that because of the pre-season hype about Dupree for Heisman, etc, the Ohio State LB's were just waiting to "pound the cold ****" out him. And they did just that. I was at that game & I think Marcus limped off the field late in the 2nd quarter & didn't re-enter the game. It wasn't much later that he was gone for good.

And it was later revealed that he didn't attend a class that fall.

Big Red Ron
4/23/2006, 08:00 AM
Dupree was a better HS RB

AD the better College RB

Al Gore
4/23/2006, 08:44 AM
http://media.putfile.com/Dupree-v-Missouri

http://media.putfile.com/Dupree-v-Nebraska-2nd-Half

olevetonahill
4/23/2006, 01:45 PM
Hello, Sooner fans. Greetings from Husker land. Just wondering- where do Sooner fans hold Marcus Dupree in terms of great OU running backs? How do you compare Peterson to Dupree? Where does Dupree rank?

AD = present and accounted for
marcus = still AWOL
nuff said

Flagstaffsooner
4/23/2006, 01:48 PM
YMSSRA

TripleOption14
4/23/2006, 02:22 PM
Yeah, its really a shame that things turned out the way they did but..... thats life. And most of the blame lies directly w/ Mr. Dupree. Talent alone only gets you so far.

In turn this is why Strength and Conditioning Programs have become a MUST for major universities. The MO of all S&C programs is INJURY PREVENTION. One must get all athletes to realize this fact. Just think if sports medicine and S&C was around back then (in todays terms) and then had a strength coach that made Mr. Dupree buy into the S$C theories.??? Eventually an athlete has to do more to get to that next level.

GDC
4/23/2006, 03:05 PM
http://i.cnn.net/si/si_online/covers/images/1983/0620_large.jpg

shavedmarmoset
4/23/2006, 06:09 PM
Hard work will beat talent every time talent doesn't work hard.

AD = hard work AND talent
MD = talented dumb@$$

In terms of overall ranking among great OU backs, Dupree is not even top 20.

slickdawg
4/23/2006, 10:53 PM
Marcus Dupree was one of the best backs to ever vome out of the state
of Mississippi. I was so proud when he signed with OU.

I was so sad after his freshman year, he lost his friggin' mind. He could have
be the greatest ever, but it didn't work out.

Sooner in Tampa
4/24/2006, 06:04 AM
This thread makes me sad.

Dupree was a sick speciman and he could of had the world by the balls. Instead he was a lazy prick who wasted so much talent.

Damn

MojoRisen
4/24/2006, 07:27 AM
1. Billy Sims
2. Joe Washington
3. AD
4. Greg Pruitt
5. Quentin Griffen
6. Marcus Dupree
7. Spencer Tillman

hmmm

James Allen- sure lasted in the league
Gerald Moore- what would he have done with an excellent line

Patrick Collins ??

Dupree signed a 5 million dollar deal for USFL- blew his knee out so bad he should have never laced up again-

Big Red Ron
4/24/2006, 08:37 AM
Didn't Billy, Washington (after a very nice career with the 'skins) Pruit and Griffen have seriouse knee injuries in the NFL?

MojoRisen
4/24/2006, 10:38 AM
Sims did that I know for sure- what would he have done in the NFL with todays technologies in surgery.

picasso
4/24/2006, 10:49 AM
As a matter of sheer raw talent I would list OU RB's something like this...

1) Billy
2) AD
3) Marcus
4) Demond
5) Gaddis
Demond and Marcus couldn't hold Pruitt or Washington's jock. good call on raw talent though.
we've had so many.
Kenny King was big and as fast as anybody. but I've heard Pruitt was the fastest of them all.

King Crimson
4/24/2006, 10:56 AM
Kenny King had a nice career with the Raiders. Elvis Peacock is another who tore his knee up. Pruitt avg'd like 9 yards a carry or some ****.

picasso
4/24/2006, 11:01 AM
Kenny King had a nice career with the Raiders. Elvis Peacock is another who tore his knee up. Pruitt avg'd like 9 yards a carry or some ****.
until recently, King had the longest TD reception in the Super Bowl. Switzer said he was really a TB but they were so loaded in those days he just put him at FB. He could fly, so could Stanley Wilson. geez we were loaded in those days.
look at David Overstreet, he had a great career in the pros.

RiddlerOK
4/24/2006, 02:54 PM
geez we were loaded in those days.
look at David Overstreet, he had a great career in the pros.

With the utmost respect to Mr. Overstreet and the great vision he possessed, he died in a car wreck within a year after being drafted by the Miami Dolphins. I wouldn't say he had much time to build a great career in the pros.

picasso
4/24/2006, 05:42 PM
With the utmost respect to Mr. Overstreet and the great vision he possessed, he died in a car wreck within a year after being drafted by the Miami Dolphins. I wouldn't say he had much time to build a great career in the pros.
oy. is that right? I thought for some reason he had done well there for 5 years or so before that.. disrespect wasn't intentional.

soonerjoker
4/25/2006, 10:45 AM
Overstreet played in the NFL, (obviously) before he died.

Harry Beanbag
4/25/2006, 11:41 AM
Overstreet was the 13th overall pick in the 1981 draft. He was killed June 24, 1984 so he did play 3 years with the Dolphins.

His son is a good player at the Safety position for Missouri and will be a Senior next year I believe.

The Consumate Showman
4/25/2006, 12:22 PM
Barry Switzer has him near the top of his human feces list.....


there you go....

The Consumate Showman
4/25/2006, 12:26 PM
http://i.cnn.net/si/si_online/covers/images/1983/0620_large.jpg


The look on his face says it all. "Don't care; get this shiat over with," kind of of look. This is such a sad story. How many NC's could we have won with him if he had the work ethic of AD???? Scary thought....

MojoRisen
4/25/2006, 12:31 PM
Times were different then- you could read the wall street journal upside down and still get a 3.0 GPA in business and a degree in record time-

oh wait that was the pokes!

Harry Beanbag
4/25/2006, 12:36 PM
The look on his face says it all. "Don't care; get this shiat over with," kind of of look. This is such a sad story. How many NC's could we have won with him if he had the work ethic of AD???? Scary thought....


At least one since he would have been a Senior in '85. ;)

Salt City Sooner
4/25/2006, 02:26 PM
David Overstreet's career stats:

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/OverDa00.htm

Harry Beanbag
4/25/2006, 02:49 PM
David Overstreet's career stats:

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/OverDa00.htm


Thanks, I was trying to find that. So was he hurt the first couple of years or what?

Pigface1
4/25/2006, 02:51 PM
http://media.putfile.com/Dupree-v-Missouri

http://media.putfile.com/Dupree-v-Nebraska-2nd-Half

Thanks man! Kelly Phelps, Steve Sewell. . man that was a long time ago, and at the same time it seems like yesterday. I was maybe 8 or 9 at the time, but those guys were gods at the time. lol

Pigface1
4/25/2006, 02:56 PM
Kenny King had a nice career with the Raiders. Elvis Peacock is another who tore his knee up. Pruitt avg'd like 9 yards a carry or some ****.

Pruitt and Washington both got screwed on the Heisman. And Billy Sims got screwed for his second Heisman. The votes were in and he had two games left in which he rushed for something ridiculous like 600 yards combined.

soonerjoker
4/26/2006, 10:26 AM
texasboomer

earl was a GREAT runner, but not nearly as fast as dupree.

GDC
4/26/2006, 10:36 AM
I'll never forget that Fiesta Bowl game. What could have been.:(

crimson&cream
4/26/2006, 06:50 PM
Yes. When I met him, he was at least that tall (unless he grew taller after college).
I looked at my FB cards and they list him 6'2 and 6'3 the most, & anywhere from 225 to 235lbs. He had it all except attitude/the head.