Sorry if this has already been posted.
ESPN 30 for 30 is doing a special "The Best that Never Was" about the recruiting of Marcus Dupree.
tonight Nov 9-ESPN 7:00 pm central time
Thurs Nov 11-ESPN2 10:30 pm CST
Sun 11/28-ESPN-8 pm CST
Sat Dec 25-7:00 am CST ESPN 2
Sat Dec 25-6:00 pm CST ESPN Classic
Hope it's balanced and doesn't turn into just OU-Barry bashing, but we'll see.
http://30for30.espn.com/file/the-bes...never-was.html
Wups.....here's the correct link:
http://30for30.espn.com/file/the-bes...never-was.html
Well, dangit. I never was good at posting those link things. Tell you what...go to ESPN and it'll tell you. Or www.ask.com and key in "Marcus Dupree".
I'll be watching. Run Marcus Run
Watch Marcus Run, Watch Marcus Quit.
For us no-satellite, no-cable cheapos it may be possible to see it live via
Channelsurfing.net.
http://channelsurfing.net/watch-espn.html
No promises, but this usually works for me.
I had a class with Marcus Dupree in Dale Hall. He didn't show up much. Quiet, nobody bugged him.
Interesting read. If Marcus has made peace with Switzer, his teammates and himself, that's good enough for me.
He truly was one remarkable running back.
Marcus Dupree: The best that never was
After a remarkable freshman season in 1982, the Heisman Trophy seemed to be Marcus Dupree's for the taking. But, after a loss to Texas the following season, Dupree flew home to Mississippi and never returned.
By Jake Trotter, Staff Writer, [email protected] Oklahoman
Published: November 8, 2010
On June 20, 1983, Oklahoma running back Marcus Dupree appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated.
Former OU running back Marcus Depree is the subject of tonight's ESPN 30 for 30 premier of "The Best That Never Was."
After a remarkable freshman season, the Heisman Trophy seemed to be Dupree's for the taking. And behind Dupree, Barry Switzer's Sooners were primed to bring home another national championship.
But the headline of that SI article, 'Marcus Dupree: Can he coexist with his coach?' proved to be a harbinger of what was to come.
After a loss to Texas dropped the Sooners to 3-2, a woozy Dupree flew home to Mississippi.
And never came back.
In tonight's ESPN 30 for 30 premier of "The Best That Never Was," eight-time Emmy award-winning filmmaker Jonathan Hock chronicles the life of Dupree, which opens with Dupree doing what he does now for a living — driving a truck in Gulfport, Miss.
"Marcus, in my lifetime, was the most electrifying football player I'd ever seen, and I'm not alone when I say that," Hock told The Oklahoman. "Watching him carry the ball was unlike watching anyone else. For that greatness to just vanish, to just disappear, I couldn't leave it alone. It's been something of an obsession for me, to find out what happened, why it all went wrong.
"When ESPN asked me to do a film, and that I could do whatever I wanted, there was no question, I wanted to tell story of Marcus Dupree."
First, Hock had to find Dupree. Which proved to be no easy task.
No one in Dupree's hometown of Philadelphia, Miss., could tell Hock where Dupree was. Neither could anyone in Oklahoma.
After six months of searching, Hock was about to give up when — with the help of a private investigator — he finally located Dupree.
"When (Hock) came to me, I was like, 'Whoa, really?'" Dupree told The Oklahoman. "I was thrilled about it. Honored, as a matter of fact. We sat down and talked about it. He told me he wanted to put my life on film, and I said let's go for it."
The film is both sad and tragic. But also about finding contentment and making peace with the past.
Said Hock: "The story is so amazing in so many ways."
The film begins in Philadelphia, a town made infamous by the 1964 slaying of three civil rights workers, later inspiring the 1988 movie "Mississippi Burning."
Dupree, born just weeks after the slayings, helped repair some of the racial divide in Philadelphia with his amazing ability on the football field.
"Black and white were sitting together in the stands," Dupree said. "That was a special time."
Perhaps the most compelling interview subject in the film is Cecil Price Jr., a high school teammate and friend of Dupree's, who reflects about his father, the late Cecil R. Price, who as the deputy sheriff arrested the civil rights workers and was eventually found guilty of placing them into the hands of their killers.
But the majority of the film explores Dupree's incredible talent, his national recruitment to OU and his eventual exodus from Norman.
For those that never saw Dupree play in high school, Hock was able to track down 16 millimeter black-and-white footage of Dupree playing at Philadelphia High, showing why every school from UCLA to Southern Miss badly wanted Dupree. His recruitment was so intense, author Willie Morris detailed it in the book, "The Courting of Marcus Dupree."
In the film, former OU assistant Lucious Selmon and ex-Texas coach Fred Akers open up about the circus surrounding Dupree's recruitment, and how the Sooners ultimately prevailed in signing him.
But the film takes a sudden melancholy turn, detailing the events that eventually led to Dupree's departure from Norman. Including the involvement of Southern Miss booster and pastor Ken Fairley, who, after Dupree spurned Southern Miss for OU, wanted him to leave school for the pros, and later became Dupree's agent.
"People at OU are going to have pretty clear sense for themselves who they think is the good guy, and who they think is the bad guy," Hock said. "They don't need help from me."
In the film, Fairley claims Dupree told him he never wanted to go to OU in the first place. And he accuses the Sooners of giving Dupree's mom a double-wide trailer.
"None of that was true," countered Dupree, who in the film suggests Fairley as his agent later stole money from him, then got him involved in several law suits. "His whole interview was basically a lie."
Perhaps the most memorable line in the film comes from Switzer, who calls his tough handling of Dupree his greatest coaching regret.
"That made me happy, but also sad," said Dupree, who visits Oklahoma often, even attending last year's OU-OSU game in Norman. "I love Coach Switzer to death. It was a lack of communication. I wish he had pulled me to the side and told me his thinking, that he didn't want to show favoritism. We wouldn't be talking about this right now.
"I'm still an Oklahoma guy. I wish I had stayed those last three years and won three national championships. It's the only thing I regret not doing.
"I should have listened to my mom."
http://www.newsok.com/marcus-dupree-...adlines_widget
Galen Hall, OU offensive coordinator, 1982-83:
“What a physically talented young man he was. The first time you saw him, you couldn't believe how he could run as fast as he could and catch the ball. Just a superior athlete for his size. It was a career that was shortened for various reasons and various people.”
Merv Johnson, OU assistant head coach and offensive line coach, 1982-83:
“The influence he (was under) from where he grew up kept pushing him to go pro. I think that had a lot to do with what happened. Coach Switzer's criticism of his conditioning in the (Fiesta) bowl game probably gave that guy (Kenneth Farley) ammunition and fuel to go ahead and finish the job. He might have won a couple of Heisman Trophies. There's never been many like him.”
Bobby Proctor, OU defensive backs coach, 1982-83:
“The first day he showed up here, Switzer let me take all the freshmen and do drills. He came up, left that defensive back sitting on his butt. Then he went over to defensive back, and he stuck us up in the nose. At Colorado, I asked Switzer, let me put him in on punt returns. He said ‘nah.' I said, ‘Come on, coach.' First play, he takes a punt back 77 yards.”
Mike Jones, OU receivers coach, 1982-83:
“The athletic ability he possessed, with his speed and soft hands and agility, was amazing. He returned punts, he could play receiver and running back, tight end. About any place you wanted him to play. The pressure from home was more than that kid could handle. Marcus was a great kid. He was fun to be around. He was never a problem. He practiced with a smile on his face. He had some character about him.”
OU 20 UT 36 "It is what it is." Mack Brown 10/12/13
coming soon
Sounds depressing
Turn this on now if you're not watchin
Let me see your war face!!
Originally Posted by soonerbub
crazy, huh?
man this is bringing tears, talking about his bro.
now this pastor is pissing me off
This is going in a bad direction real real fast! Lots of OU hate, and * Butthurt!
- Paraphrased
he loved some BOOMER Q
Is this like the official game thread?
Some sour grapes from Saxet an S M
Quote
If God wanted Men to look women in the eyes, He wouldnt have gave em Boobs !
the King's castle
Hell Yeah coach Switzer!
James Hale is ugly.
"If your dream ain't bigger than you, there's a problem with your dream." -Deion Sanders
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