No running backs were taken in the first round of last night’s NFL Draft. There was a day, though, when running backs were the rage. And perhaps the greatest of them all was a player named Marcus Dupree.
Before his 20th birthday, Dupree could bench press 400 pounds ten times, and, in college, he was clocked at 4.3 in the 40-yard dash. With the strength of Zeus and the speed of Hermes, everybody was after Marcus
The year was 1981 and the place was Philadelphia, Mississippi, Dupree was the most heavily recruited running back in the country. Dupree, people thought, would be better than the best RBs of his era–players like Eric Dickerson, Herschel Walker, and Billy Sims. And, at 6-foot-3-inches, Dupree would be the second coming of Earl Campbell.
A strong lower body that could move that fast. But Dupree did.
Courtesy Crimson and Cream Machine
The offers poured in. LSU, Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, and UCLA, to name only a few. As a Mississippi State fan as a kid, people thought the Bulldogs had the inside track. But Dupree chose the University of Oklahoma. Barry Switzer’s swag reeled him in.
Dupree started seven games as a freshman, rushing for nearly 1200 yards with a 7+-yard-per-carry average. He was the first freshman to lead OU in rushing. Later, in the 1983 Fiesta Bowl, Dupree rushed for 239 yards on 17 carries in one half against Arizona State, playing with a broken finger.
But success didn’t last. Switzer and Dupree didn’t get along. Dupree didn’t like to practice, and he put on weight. So he left for home after two years to play for Southern Miss.
He never played a down for the Eagles, signing instead with the USFL Portland Breakers. But as a pro, Dupree never flashed the brilliance he once displayed on the field. Later, he signed with the NFL’s Rams LA Rams, making modest contributions — gaining fewer than 300 yards in two seasons. His longest run was only 24 yards.
Dupree’s knees couldn’t hold up, and he left the game.
In sports as in life, there are always what-could-have-been. In football, the name Marcus Depree ranks high on that list, and perhaps it is #1.
I didn’t know this story even though I’ve heard the name Marcus Dupree. In this short article the writer…Matthew Paris managed to cover everything that you needed to know about Marcus Dupree. Great article, I really enjoyed it!