Text messages show he pressured Phil Bryant, a former Mississippi governor, to obtain $5 million in funds to help build a new volleyball center at his alma mater, the University of Southern Mississippi, where his daughter played the sport. Be patient with the process, he said. He is plagued by anxiety, and on February 25th, 1985, Dupree suffers a terrible knee injury during his starting game. According to an audit conducted by White's office, $171,000 in TANF money was used as the down payment toward Dupree's home and surrounding property. She kept saying, Something aint right about that guy. As usual, my grandmother proved to be right again.. On the front porch at 274 Davis Street one recent afternoon sits Marcus Dupree, sophomore tailback at the University of Oklahoma, blowing up and then popping his bubble gum. To date, six people have been indicted in the pending welfare fraud case. I know I shouldnt have left [OU], but I still love Oklahoma and I still love watching [the Sooners] play., Today, Dupree goes around speaking, telling his story. White told ESPN such purchases "would be unallowable because of the prohibition against purchasing real property with TANF funds." Im just waiting on them to give me a call.. Favre has denied wrongdoing. On April 13, 2018, Dupree's foundation purchased the horse farm and residence in Flora where Dupree lives for $855,000. During his post-playing days, Dupree maintained local-celebrity status within his home state, frequently appearing at public functions or events staged through his foundation. In his first season at Oklahoma, Dupree didnt get a whole lot of playing time early, but after the Sooners starter 1-2, Dupree got thrown int the mix a little more. However, Dupree suffered a career-threatening knee injury in the first game of the 1985 season for the Breakers and doctors said hed never play football again. For every Marcus Allen, Barry Sanders or Emmitt Smith, there's an Anthony Thompson, a Paul Palmer and a LeShon Johnson, guys who never matched their college success in the NFL. His football journey was profiled in a 2010 ESPN 30 for 30 documentary, "The Best That Never Was.". 2023 www.clarionledger.com. But Dupree insists he did mentor teens at his 15-acre horse farm in Flora, Mississippi. The state Auditor's Office has issued demands for more than $77 million in welfare funds that were misspent, according to an audit conducted by the office. Dupree came home to Mississippi and enrolled at USM. "But I learned today that Marcus' mother may be ill," said Switzer. In high school, Marcus Dupree wowed everyone from players, to coaches to fans with his size and natural athletic ability. 53. "If Mr. Dupree would like to argue that the amounts he was paid were reasonably justified for the number of speeches given and can show proof of the speeches, he will be able to make that argument in a court," White said. Speaking about his decision to leave Oklahoma, Dupree said in 2010: I wish (Barry Switzer) would have treated me a little bit better. 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 . I had the impression before I went to Oklahoma from just watching Coach Switzer on TV, Dupree told Sports Illustrated in 1983, that hes a hard guy and that he treats his players hard. In 1984, marcus dupree signed with the new orleans breakers of the usfl and had a pretty good season, scoring nine touchdowns. Dupree's much-anticipated sophomore season did not turn out as planned. He receives several injuries and has to be sidelined at several points during the game; even out of condition he manages to set a Fiesta Bowl records for rushed yards, a record which still stands. He signed with Oklahoma and rushed for 1,144 yards and 13 scores as a freshman. He joined the United States Football League the following season and signed with the New Orleans Breakers in 1984. At 5:29 p.m. Monday, Marcus Dupree was feeding his horses in Philadelphia when a text came through: Guilty. To meet the classroom requirements, however, Dupree would need to pass 24 more hours of work between now and September. The Breakers moved to Portland, Oregon for the 1985 season. "If Mr. Dupree would like to argue that the amounts he was paid were reasonably justified for the number of speeches given and can show proof of the speeches, he will be able to make that argument in a court," White said. Dupree provided ESPN several photos of what appear to be teenage boys, whom he says he mentored at his stables in Flora, as well as photos from numerous public appearances. He also has a grandson. Marcus Dupree made a name in the 1982 OU-Texas game, but ended his Sooner career with a disappointing performance a year later. Dupree first met Fairley during his senior season of high school. I think Ill play this year, but it could be my last. After four years away from football, he decided to give the NFL a shot in 1990. Barry Switzer heard the news Tuesday morning that Marcus Dupree had dropped out of school at Southern Mississippi. Thomas Tommy Conner was born September 23, 1943, to Leroy Jack Conner and Esther Conner in Neshoba County, MS. His efforts work to reverse Oklahomas losing streak, earning him numerous accolades and great notoriety. It was in 1985, Dupree earned the starting position for the season opener against the Arizona Outlaws, during which he suffered that knee injury that ended his career with the USFL. Maurice Carthon. In hindsight, you keep going back to a statement that Switzer made when Dupree left OU. [14] Knox, who had replaced John Robinson earlier that year, had told Dupree and the press that Dupree was not versatile enough for his one-back offense. He played with them for two seasons before he was forced to leave the gamebecause ofa knee injury. Marcus Dupree was one of the most exciting college football prospects of all time. When you do wrong and just keep doing wrong, the bottom is going to finally fall out. Fairley was by his side during the process. Dupree is not permitted to play for most of their games, and the University of Oklahoma suffers a string of devastating losses.Soon after these losses, Switzer makes the surprising announcement that the team is abandoning their vaunted wishbone offensive strategy in favor of one involving a single running back, favoring Dupree. 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. The circumstances surrounding Duprees departure from football takes a tremendous physical and emotional toll on him, and at the age of 23 he is described as being like an old man. Around 1989, Dupree comes to believe that he might be able to play football again and begins an intense training regimen, dropping over 100 pounds in the space of a few months. Whatever happened to Marcus Dupree? However, his career went awry soon after leaving the University of Oklahoma in 1983. 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.". The Incredible Story of the Greatest Football Player You've Never Heard Of - Marcus Dupree I've wanted to tell the story of Marcus Dupree for sometime now. Dupree's mother was supporting the family by herself on the salary of a school teacher. Since then, he has wrestled, worked as a VIP host for a casino group and also made ends meet by driving a truck. Did Steph Curry go bald? To date, six people have been indicted in the pending welfare fraud case. My first paycheck was for $42,000. He was never the same. We do the wrestling events to see kids cheer and see kids faces smile to it like I did when I was younger.. 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. A highly touted and sought-after college football recruit, he played at Oklahoma, where he was named Football News Freshman of the Year, second-team All-American and Big Eight Conference Newcomer of the Year. I didn't even know about that, nothing. Back then, Dupree playing football in school had attracted national attention. Marcus Dupree, 1982. Credit: Newscom. His remarkable achievements throughout Philadelphia and Mississippi even inspired a writer named . Whether he will find still another NCAA school, transfer to a small college where he can play football this fall, or whether he will turn pro. [5] Author Willie Morris described the audience at Dupree's final high school game as "the most distinctive crowds I had ever seen four thousand or so people seemed almost an equal of mix of whites, blacks, and Indians After Marcus scored his touchdown, Sid Salter saw Cecil Price Sr. (who was linked with the murders of Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner in Philadelphia, Miss.) But it has done one thing: the American public should finally realize that the University of Oklahoma wasn't totally to blame for what happened while he was there. He also played an overbearing dad of a young football player in the film, Life at These Speeds. Sports Illustrated has a look at . White said his office found "limited evidence" Dupree or anyone else ever delivered those sorts of services to the needy. Dupree provided ESPN several photos of what appear to be teenage boys, whom he says he mentored at his stables in Flora, as well as photos from numerous public appearances. . Marcus Dupree's age is 58. Not much is known about his personal life except that he has three sonsMarquez, Landon, and Rashad. Dupree was signed by the New Orleans Breakers of the United States Football League in 1984. According to a 2019 state audit, Dupree was paid, in part, for "equine assisted learning," which Mississippi's state auditor, Shad White, told ESPN meant "teaching people how to ride horses.". The Los Angeles Rams held his rights after drafting him in the 12th round in 1986. Dupree is also a licensed truck driver with OTR experience. I signed a contract and I did my job," Dupree said. He had a quick, spectacular impact on Norman, and that fact did not help the relationship with his coach. A missing persons report is filed, and the FBI launches a search for him. Dupree was late arriving at Breakers' training camp in San Dimas, California that season, but performed well enough to earn a starting position for the season opener at Sun Devil Stadium against the Arizona Outlaws. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Who Is Kimmi Chex? Marc Connolly from ABC Sports Online, aptly said, For everyMarcus Allen,Barry SandersorEmmitt Smith, theres anAnthony Thompson, aPaul Palmerand aLeShon Johnson, guys who never matched their college success in the NFL. He feels an extra twinge of regret when the 1985 Oklahoma college team goes on to win the national championship.In the present-day, Dupree visits the house that once belonged to his deceased mother, combing through his old trophies and possessions. Last Name: Ricky Adams 1977-1981. In his senior year, he eclipsedHerschel Walkers national high school career touchdown record, collecting 36, giving him a total of 81. Geneva Alexander 1976-1980. Dupree told ESPN he "was shocked" when he learned that Nancy New, the head of one of the nonprofits, the Mississippi Community Education Center, had pleaded guilty to 13 felony counts of bribery, fraud and racketeering. Later that month, Dupree visits the University of Texas and decides to commit to joining that school, but upon returning to Mississippi he decides to visit the University of Oklahoma anyway. The statement read in part: "I am deeply concerned that something like this always seems to occur during our recruiting season and I definitely worry about its impact on our recruiting efforts.". It would be the best for his family. Reggies disability weighs heavily on Duprees conscience, and he hopes that his football talents can earn him enough to afford costly treatments for Reggie. Im in pretty good spirits with that, he said. 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. Ken took that, Dupree said. In the summer of 1990, Dupree is invited to Los Angeles to attend the Rams training camp. It is around this time that Dupree is born, and as a child he dreams of becoming a football player. . (This program contains audiovisual errors. Legendary running back Walter Payton convinced him to get back in shape and try out for the NFL in 1990, and Dupree was signed by the LA Rams that year but his stay in the league didn't last long. In his autobiography, Switzer devoted an entire chapter to Dupree, saying he regretted not getting to know him better. The San Francisco 49ers brought Dupree into training camp in 1992 to play fullback, a position he had never played. Dupree, the film notes early on, earned the respect, and even the awe, of everyone who saw him play, including the deputy sheriff linked to the murders, Cecil Ray Price (in 1967, despite the. He also noted the "unreasonableness" of using federal welfare money, intended for job training and assistance for needy families, to help purchase a five-bedroom home and a horse farm for a state-contracted employee. Dupree was a standout in his freshman season at the University of Oklahoma in 1982, but his career was ultimately hampered by injuries. "[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. Alleged haircut has NBA fans in a spin. Even though that sounded preposterous, he might have hit the nail on the head. When I recovered from the anaesthesia after my injury and surgery while with the Breakers, I looked up at my Mom. In 1984, Marcus Dupree signed with the New Orleans Breakers of the USFL and had a pretty good season, scoring nine touchdowns. Dupree said he was not aware the money New had used to pay him had come from misappropriated welfare funds. I dont know.. In April that year, he asked his former USFL coach, Dick Coury, then the quarterbacks coach for the Rams, if he could work out for the team if he got into shape, and impressed Coury and head coach John Robinson enough to earn a contract. He returned to professional football in 1990, playing in 15 games over two seasons for the Los Angeles Rams before being waived prior to the 1992 season. 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. Make no mistake: Mr. Dupree earned the money he was paid, and he never had any reason to believe the money was being improperly spent by state officials," Eichelberger wrote. After the first three games of the season, Dupree had just twelve carries for 20 yards and the Sooners' record was 12. So we drove to Forest and met Ken Fairley. Perhaps several people gave him bad advice. Others were just a step too slow. "I was all over the state. Anyone who got to know Dupree while he was at OU realized he was a good person. According to the lawsuit, from August 2017 to September 2019 Dupree was paid $371,000 from Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds. He played in only five games in the 1983 season because of nagging injuries and suffering a concussion against Texas. Why do the Jacksonville Jaguars say Duval? He is carried off the field in a stretcher. Dupree was placed on injured reserve, meaning he would have to sit out for four weeks before he could play for the Rams.[12]. [2], As a sophomore in 1979, he was switched to running back and rushed for 1,850 yards and scored 28 touchdowns. 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