Marcus Dupree
Encyclopedia
Marcus L. Dupree is a former American
football
player. He was one of the most highly recruited high school football
players ever. He graduated with the first class in Philadelphia that was desegregated for the entire 12 years he went to school. He went on to play at Oklahoma
, where he was named Football News Freshman of the Year, second team All-American and Big Eight Conference
Newcomer of the Year, before leaving in the middle of his sophomore season and briefly attending the University of Southern Mississippi without playing a single game there. He joined the United States Football League
the following season and signed with the New Orleans Breakers in 1984. He played for the Breakers (which moved to Portland, Oregon
before his second season) for two seasons, before a knee injury forced him to leave the game. He returned to professional football five years later in 1990
, joining the Los Angeles Rams, where he played in 15 games over two seasons, before he was waived prior to the 1992 season
.
The college recruiting of Dupree was the subject of a book by Willie Morris
titled The Courting of Marcus Dupree (ISBN 0878055851) and his career is the subject of an ESPN
30 for 30
documentary film, The Best That Never Was.
s as wide receiver
and seven more as a kickoff and punt returner, including a 75-yard kickoff return touchdown on his first play in high school.
As a sophomore in 1979, Dupree was switched to wide back and rushed for 1,850 yards and scored 28 touchdowns. He also played on Philadelphia High's basketball team, which finished the year with a 33-4 record and reached the semifinals of the Mississippi state basketball tournament, and played first base and catcher for the baseball team, hitting for a .481 average.
In his junior season starting in 1980, Dupree rushed for 2,550 yards and scored 34 touchdowns (25 rushing, 9 by kick return).
During his senior year Dupree rushed for 2,955 yards and scored 36 touchdowns. He finished his high school career with 7,355 rushing yards with an 8.3-yards-per-carry average. Dupree scored 87 touchdowns total during his playing time in high school, breaking the national high school record (set by Herschel Walker
) by one. In 1981, Marcus's final High School football game was played on the Choctaw Indian Resevation's tribal high school
's Warriors Stadium. Author Willie Morris
described the audience at Dupree's final high school game as "the most distincitive 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 three civil rights workers in Philadelphia) who was ... 'jumping up and down and cheering as hard as anyone ... ain't that a kick in the pants?'"
Dupree was heavily recruited by the major college football programs, and during the final month of the recruiting period, his high school coach, Joe Wood, answered more than 100 phone calls a day from colleges. Oklahoma
assistant coach Lucious Selmon
spent six weeks in the Downtown Motor Inn in Philadelphia, and head coach Barry Switzer
sent former Oklahoma Sooner and Heisman Trophy
winner Billy Sims
to the town by private plane to appeal to Dupree. On February 12, 1982, Dupree announced he would attend Oklahoma instead of the other finalists, Texas
, UCLA
and Southern Miss
.
in 1982, head coach Barry Switzer
said, "He was the best player on the field. Earl Campbell
was the only other guy I ever saw who was like that -- physically ready, as a true freshman, to be the best player on a great college team. Maybe even ready for the NFL at that age."
After the first three games of the season, Dupree had just twelve carries for 20 yards and the Sooners' record was 1-2. For the fourth game Switzer abandoned his favored wishbone offense and made Dupree the tailback in the I formation
to take advantage of his skills. Dupree scored his first college touchdown against Texas
on a 63-yard fake reverse.
On October 16, 1982, he ran for 158 yards against Kansas
, including a 75-yard touchdown run. As a result, he was given the starting tailback position over Stanley Wilson
and was named Big Eight
Offensive Player of the Week. He made his first start against Oklahoma State
and scored two touchdowns. Among all his other great runs, he also had a 77-yard punt return against Colorado
, an 80-yard run against Kansas State
, a 70-yard run against Missouri
and an 86-yard run against Nebraska
.
Despite not starting until the seventh game of the season, Dupree finished with 1,144 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns. He was named second team All-American, first team all-Big Eight Conference, and Big Eight Newcomer of the Year.
On January 1, 1983, Dupree's freshman season ended with a 32-21 Fiesta Bowl
loss against Arizona State
, in which he rushed for an Oklahoma and Fiesta Bowl record 249 yards, but was criticized by Switzer for not practicing hard and for being overweight. Switzer told Dupree, "If you'd have been in shape, you'd have rushed for 400 yards, and we'd have won the game."
Dupree's much-anticipated sophomore season did not turn out as planned. Hampered by injuries, Dupree gained 369 yards on 61 carries with three touchdowns in the first four games of the season. After suffering a concussion in a loss against Texas, he vanished for a week. When he resurfaced in Mississippi, he announced he was leaving OU and transferred to University of Southern Mississippi. Told that because of NCAA
rules, he would have to sit out the 1984 season, he left after three months.
in 1984. He scored a touchdown on his first professional possession. Throughout the year, he was injured and often was on the bench watching Buford Jordan
take his carries. He gained 684 yards on 145 carries with 9 touchdowns for a 4.7 yards per carry average. He had two 100-yard rushing games.
The Breakers moved to Portland, Oregon
for the 1985 season. 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
. While carrying the ball early in the second half, his left knee was severely injured and he was taken from the field on a stretcher. In the game, he had 69 yards on 17 carries with a touchdown, but the injury ended his USFL career.
He had surgery on the knee and recuperated in Portland, celebrating his 21st birthday with friends and teammates.
met Dupree on some business ventures and urged him to get back into shape to try out for the NFL again in 1990. Dupree agreed and began working out, losing 100 pounds in just over three months and going back to running a 4.3 40-yard dash. In October 1990, Dupree signed with the Los Angeles Rams, who had drafted him in 1986
in case he became healthy again, after a 5-and-a-half-year absence from the football field. 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. Dupree was placed on injured reserve, meaning he would have to sit out for four weeks before he could play for the Rams.
On week nine of the 1990 season
, Dupree made his first appearance and rushed for 22 yards on four carries, wearing number 34 in honor of Payton instead of his usual 22. He started his first game in week 16 and rushed for 42 yards on 13 carries. He finished his first NFL season with 72 yards on 19 carries, in three games played.
In 1991
, Dupree missed the first seven games due to a toe injury suffered in practice. Returning in week 8, he played more often and scored his only NFL touchdown that year. He finished the season with 179 yards on 49 carries with one touchdown, in eight games played.
Before the 1992 season
, Dupree led the Rams in rushing in the preseason, which included a 212-yard game in the final preseason game against the Los Angeles Raiders, but was one of the 14 players cut by coach Chuck Knox
to trim the team down to the 47 player regular season roster, and retired shortly afterward. 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 said he preferred running backs who "were a little more well-rounded, could catch the ball coming out of the backfield and could do some of the other things besides run with the football."
He finished his career with 251 yards on 68 carries during regular season play, for a 3.7 yards-per-carry average, rushing for one touchdown.
in 1995, ran a sports bar and worked as a casino greeter.
His son, Marquez Dupree played as running back for Philadelphia High School and went on to sign with Alabama, before he injured his knee and left the team.
An ESPN
documentary on Dupree, titled "The Best That Never Was" and directed by Jonathan Hock, premiered on November 9, 2010 as part of the 30 for 30
series of 30 films celebrating ESPN's 30th anniversary.
As of February 2011 he is running a pro wrestling promotion, Mid South Wrestling.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player. He was one of the most highly recruited high school football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
players ever. He graduated with the first class in Philadelphia that was desegregated for the entire 12 years he went to school. He went on to play at Oklahoma
Oklahoma Sooners football
The Oklahoma Sooners football program is a college football team that represents the University of Oklahoma . The team is currently a member of the Big 12 Conference, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
, where he was named Football News Freshman of the Year, second team All-American and Big Eight Conference
Big Eight Conference
The Big Eight Conference, a former NCAA-affiliated Division I-A college athletic association that sponsored football, was formed in January 1907 as the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association by its charter member schools: the University of Kansas, University of Missouri, University...
Newcomer of the Year, before leaving in the middle of his sophomore season and briefly attending the University of Southern Mississippi without playing a single game there. He joined the United States Football League
United States Football League
The United States Football League was an American football league which was in active operation from 1983 to 1987. It played a spring/summer schedule in its first three seasons and a traditional autumn/winter schedule was set to commence before league operations ceased.The USFL was conceived in...
the following season and signed with the New Orleans Breakers in 1984. He played for the Breakers (which moved to Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
before his second season) for two seasons, before a knee injury forced him to leave the game. He returned to professional football five years later in 1990
1990 NFL season
The 1990 NFL season was the 71st regular season of the National Football League. To increase revenue, the league changed the regular season so that all NFL teams would play their 16-game schedule over a 17-week period...
, joining the Los Angeles Rams, where he played in 15 games over two seasons, before he was waived prior to the 1992 season
1992 NFL season
The 1992 NFL season was the 73rd regular season of the National Football League.Due to the damage caused by Hurricane Andrew, the New England Patriots–Miami Dolphins game that was scheduled for September 6 at Joe Robbie Stadium was rescheduled to October 18. Both teams originally had that...
.
The college recruiting of Dupree was the subject of a book by Willie Morris
Willie Morris
William Weaks "Willie" Morris , was an American writer and editor born in Jackson, Mississippi, though his family later moved to Yazoo City, Mississippi, which he immortalized in his works of prose. Morris' trademark was his lyrical prose style and reflections on the American South, particularly...
titled The Courting of Marcus Dupree (ISBN 0878055851) and his career is the subject of an ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
30 for 30
30 for 30
30 for 30 is the umbrella title for a series of documentaries airing on ESPN and its sister networks. The series, which premiered in October 2009 and concluded in December 2010, chronicles 30 stories from the "ESPN era," each of which detail the issues, trends, people, teams, or events that...
documentary film, The Best That Never Was.
High school
Dupree played high school football for the Philadelphia High School Tornadoes from 1978 to 1981. As a freshman in 1978, he ran a 4.4-second 40-yard dash, scored five touchdownTouchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
s as wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
and seven more as a kickoff and punt returner, including a 75-yard kickoff return touchdown on his first play in high school.
As a sophomore in 1979, Dupree was switched to wide back and rushed for 1,850 yards and scored 28 touchdowns. He also played on Philadelphia High's basketball team, which finished the year with a 33-4 record and reached the semifinals of the Mississippi state basketball tournament, and played first base and catcher for the baseball team, hitting for a .481 average.
In his junior season starting in 1980, Dupree rushed for 2,550 yards and scored 34 touchdowns (25 rushing, 9 by kick return).
During his senior year Dupree rushed for 2,955 yards and scored 36 touchdowns. He finished his high school career with 7,355 rushing yards with an 8.3-yards-per-carry average. Dupree scored 87 touchdowns total during his playing time in high school, breaking the national high school record (set by Herschel Walker
Herschel Walker
Herschel Junior Walker is an American mixed martial artist and a former American football player. He played college football for the University of Georgia Bulldogs and earned the 1982 Heisman Trophy. He began his professional career with the New Jersey Generals of the United States Football League...
) by one. In 1981, Marcus's final High School football game was played on the Choctaw Indian Resevation's tribal high school
Choctaw Tribal School System
The Choctaw Tribal School System is a school district based in the community of Choctaw, Mississippi . A non-public entity operated by the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, the district consists of eight schools in three counties – Neshoba, Leake, and Newton – and has a total enrollment of 1,700...
's Warriors Stadium. Author Willie Morris
Willie Morris
William Weaks "Willie" Morris , was an American writer and editor born in Jackson, Mississippi, though his family later moved to Yazoo City, Mississippi, which he immortalized in his works of prose. Morris' trademark was his lyrical prose style and reflections on the American South, particularly...
described the audience at Dupree's final high school game as "the most distincitive 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
Cecil Price
Cecil Ray Price was linked to the murders of three civil rights workers in 1964. At the time of the murders, he was 26 years old and a deputy sheriff in Neshoba County, Mississippi...
, Sr. (who was linked with the murders of three civil rights workers in Philadelphia) who was ... 'jumping up and down and cheering as hard as anyone ... ain't that a kick in the pants?'"
Dupree was heavily recruited by the major college football programs, and during the final month of the recruiting period, his high school coach, Joe Wood, answered more than 100 phone calls a day from colleges. Oklahoma
Oklahoma Sooners football
The Oklahoma Sooners football program is a college football team that represents the University of Oklahoma . The team is currently a member of the Big 12 Conference, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
assistant coach Lucious Selmon
Lucious Selmon
-Collegiate career :Selmon came to Oklahoma from Eufaula High School in 1970, and played nose guard for the Oklahoma Sooners for both Chuck Fairbanks and Barry Switzer. He was a consensus All-American in 1973, and was named Chevrolet/ABC National Defensive Player of the Year, Big 8 Conference...
spent six weeks in the Downtown Motor Inn in Philadelphia, and head coach Barry Switzer
Barry Switzer
Barry Switzer is a former football coach, active in the college and professional ranks between 1962 and 1997. He has one of the highest winning percentages of any college football coach in history, and is one of only two head coaches to win both a college football national championship and a...
sent former Oklahoma Sooner and Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
winner Billy Sims
Billy Sims
Billy Sims is a former college football and NFL running back. He won the Heisman Trophy in 1978.-Early years:...
to the town by private plane to appeal to Dupree. On February 12, 1982, Dupree announced he would attend Oklahoma instead of the other finalists, Texas
Texas Longhorns football
The Texas Longhorns football program is the intercollegiate football team representing The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas. The team currently competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big 12 Conference which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National...
, UCLA
UCLA Bruins Football
The UCLA Bruins football program represents the University of California, Los Angeles in college football as members of the Pacific-12 Conference at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The Bruins have enjoyed several periods of success in their history, having been ranked in the top ten of the AP Poll...
and Southern Miss
Southern Miss Golden Eagles
The Southern Miss Golden Eagles represent The University of Southern Mississippi in Division I athletics. The teams compete in Conference USA....
.
College
When Dupree arrived at the University of OklahomaUniversity of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
in 1982, head coach Barry Switzer
Barry Switzer
Barry Switzer is a former football coach, active in the college and professional ranks between 1962 and 1997. He has one of the highest winning percentages of any college football coach in history, and is one of only two head coaches to win both a college football national championship and a...
said, "He was the best player on the field. Earl Campbell
Earl Campbell
Earl Christian Campbell , nicknamed The Tyler Rose, is a former professional American Football running back. He, Paul Hornung and O.J Simpson are the only people to have won the Heisman Trophy , were first overall National Football League draft picks and are in both the Pro Football Hall of Fame...
was the only other guy I ever saw who was like that -- physically ready, as a true freshman, to be the best player on a great college team. Maybe even ready for the NFL at that age."
After the first three games of the season, Dupree had just twelve carries for 20 yards and the Sooners' record was 1-2. For the fourth game Switzer abandoned his favored wishbone offense and made Dupree the tailback in the I formation
I formation
The I formation is one of the most common offensive formations in American football. The I formation draws its name from the vertical alignment of quarterback, fullback, and running back, particularly when contrasted with the same players' alignments in the T formation.The formation begins with...
to take advantage of his skills. Dupree scored his first college touchdown against Texas
Texas Longhorns football
The Texas Longhorns football program is the intercollegiate football team representing The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas. The team currently competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big 12 Conference which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National...
on a 63-yard fake reverse.
On October 16, 1982, he ran for 158 yards against Kansas
Kansas Jayhawks football
The Kansas Jayhawks football program is the intercollegiate football program of the University of Kansas Jayhawks. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I, and the team competes in the Big 12 Conference....
, including a 75-yard touchdown run. As a result, he was given the starting tailback position over Stanley Wilson
Stanley Wilson Sr.
Stanley T. Wilson, Sr. is an American former professional football player, a running back, who played for the NFL's Cincinnati Bengals...
and was named Big Eight
Big Eight Conference
The Big Eight Conference, a former NCAA-affiliated Division I-A college athletic association that sponsored football, was formed in January 1907 as the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association by its charter member schools: the University of Kansas, University of Missouri, University...
Offensive Player of the Week. He made his first start against Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State Cowboys football
The Oklahoma State Cowboys football program represents Oklahoma State University–Stillwater in college football. The team is a member of the Big 12 Conference and completes at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. The Cowboys are led by Mike Gundy, who is in his seventh year as...
and scored two touchdowns. Among all his other great runs, he also had a 77-yard punt return against Colorado
Colorado Buffaloes football
The Colorado Buffaloes football program represents the University of Colorado at Boulder in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The team is currently a member of the Pacific-12 Conference, having previously been a charter member of the Big 12 Conference. Before joining the Big 12,...
, an 80-yard run against Kansas State
Kansas State Wildcats football
The Kansas State Wildcats football program is the intercollegiate football program of the Kansas State University Wildcats. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I Bowl Subdivision, and the team competes in the Big 12 Conference...
, a 70-yard run against Missouri
Missouri Tigers football
The Missouri Tigers football team represents the University of Missouri in NCAA Division I FBS college football. The team has competed in the North Division of the Big 12 Conference since the conference's inception in 1996...
and an 86-yard run against Nebraska
Nebraska Cornhuskers football
The Nebraska Cornhuskers represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in college football. The program has established itself as a traditional powerhouse, and has the fourth-most all-time victories of any NCAA Division I-A team. Nebraska is one of only six football programs in NCAA Division I-A...
.
Despite not starting until the seventh game of the season, Dupree finished with 1,144 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns. He was named second team All-American, first team all-Big Eight Conference, and Big Eight Newcomer of the Year.
On January 1, 1983, Dupree's freshman season ended with a 32-21 Fiesta Bowl
Fiesta Bowl
The Fiesta Bowl, now sponsored by Frito-Lay and named with their Tostitos brand, is a United States college football bowl game played annually at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Between its origination in 1971 and 2006, the game was hosted in Tempe, Arizona at Sun Devil...
loss against Arizona State
Arizona State Sun Devils football
The Arizona State Sun Devils' football program represents Arizona State University in college football, and competes in NCAA Division I FBS as a member of the Pacific-12 Conference....
, in which he rushed for an Oklahoma and Fiesta Bowl record 249 yards, but was criticized by Switzer for not practicing hard and for being overweight. Switzer told Dupree, "If you'd have been in shape, you'd have rushed for 400 yards, and we'd have won the game."
Dupree's much-anticipated sophomore season did not turn out as planned. Hampered by injuries, Dupree gained 369 yards on 61 carries with three touchdowns in the first four games of the season. After suffering a concussion in a loss against Texas, he vanished for a week. When he resurfaced in Mississippi, he announced he was leaving OU and transferred to University of Southern Mississippi. Told that because of NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
rules, he would have to sit out the 1984 season, he left after three months.
USFL
Dupree was signed by the New Orleans Breakers of the United States Football LeagueUnited States Football League
The United States Football League was an American football league which was in active operation from 1983 to 1987. It played a spring/summer schedule in its first three seasons and a traditional autumn/winter schedule was set to commence before league operations ceased.The USFL was conceived in...
in 1984. He scored a touchdown on his first professional possession. Throughout the year, he was injured and often was on the bench watching Buford Jordan
Buford Jordan
Paul Buford Jordan is a former professional American football running back in the NFL for the New Orleans Saints....
take his carries. He gained 684 yards on 145 carries with 9 touchdowns for a 4.7 yards per carry average. He had two 100-yard rushing games.
The Breakers moved to Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
for the 1985 season. 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
Sun Devil Stadium
Sun Devil Stadium is an outdoor football stadium, located on the campus of Arizona State University, in Tempe, Arizona, United States. The stadium's current seating capacity is 71,706 and the playing surface is natural grass...
against the Arizona Outlaws
Arizona Outlaws
The Arizona Outlaws were a professional American football team that played in the United States Football League in the mid 1980s. They were owned by Fresno banker and real estate agent William Tatham, Sr., who had briefly owned the Portland Thunder of the World Football League.- 1984 Oklahoma...
. While carrying the ball early in the second half, his left knee was severely injured and he was taken from the field on a stretcher. In the game, he had 69 yards on 17 carries with a touchdown, but the injury ended his USFL career.
He had surgery on the knee and recuperated in Portland, celebrating his 21st birthday with friends and teammates.
NFL
Walter PaytonWalter Payton
Walter Jerry Payton was an American football running back who played for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League for thirteen seasons. Walter Payton was known around the NFL as "Sweetness". He is remembered as one of the most prolific running backs in the history of American football...
met Dupree on some business ventures and urged him to get back into shape to try out for the NFL again in 1990. Dupree agreed and began working out, losing 100 pounds in just over three months and going back to running a 4.3 40-yard dash. In October 1990, Dupree signed with the Los Angeles Rams, who had drafted him in 1986
1986 NFL Draft
The 1986 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 29–30, 1986...
in case he became healthy again, after a 5-and-a-half-year absence from the football field. In April that year, he asked his former USFL coach, Dick Coury
Dick Coury
Dick Coury is a former American football coach who served as head coach of the Boston/New Orleans/Portland Breakers of the United States Football League from 1983 to 1985. He was named as the USFL coach of the year in 1983....
, 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. Dupree was placed on injured reserve, meaning he would have to sit out for four weeks before he could play for the Rams.
On week nine of the 1990 season
1990 NFL season
The 1990 NFL season was the 71st regular season of the National Football League. To increase revenue, the league changed the regular season so that all NFL teams would play their 16-game schedule over a 17-week period...
, Dupree made his first appearance and rushed for 22 yards on four carries, wearing number 34 in honor of Payton instead of his usual 22. He started his first game in week 16 and rushed for 42 yards on 13 carries. He finished his first NFL season with 72 yards on 19 carries, in three games played.
In 1991
1991 NFL season
The 1991 NFL season was the 72nd regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XXVI when the Washington Redskins defeated the Buffalo Bills....
, Dupree missed the first seven games due to a toe injury suffered in practice. Returning in week 8, he played more often and scored his only NFL touchdown that year. He finished the season with 179 yards on 49 carries with one touchdown, in eight games played.
Before the 1992 season
1992 NFL season
The 1992 NFL season was the 73rd regular season of the National Football League.Due to the damage caused by Hurricane Andrew, the New England Patriots–Miami Dolphins game that was scheduled for September 6 at Joe Robbie Stadium was rescheduled to October 18. Both teams originally had that...
, Dupree led the Rams in rushing in the preseason, which included a 212-yard game in the final preseason game against the Los Angeles Raiders, but was one of the 14 players cut by coach Chuck Knox
Chuck Knox
Charles Robert "Chuck" Knox is a former American football coach at the high school, collegiate and professional levels. He is best remembered as head coach of three National Football League teams, the Seattle Seahawks, the Buffalo Bills, and the Los Angeles Rams, serving two separate stints with...
to trim the team down to the 47 player regular season roster, and retired shortly afterward. 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 said he preferred running backs who "were a little more well-rounded, could catch the ball coming out of the backfield and could do some of the other things besides run with the football."
He finished his career with 251 yards on 68 carries during regular season play, for a 3.7 yards-per-carry average, rushing for one touchdown.
After NFL
After he was released by the Rams, he performed as a professional wrestler for the USWAUnited States Wrestling Association
The United States Wrestling Association or USWA was a professional wrestling promotion based in Memphis, Tennessee. It was founded by former CWA owner Jerry Jarrett.-Foundation:...
in 1995, ran a sports bar and worked as a casino greeter.
His son, Marquez Dupree played as running back for Philadelphia High School and went on to sign with Alabama, before he injured his knee and left the team.
An ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
documentary on Dupree, titled "The Best That Never Was" and directed by Jonathan Hock, premiered on November 9, 2010 as part of the 30 for 30
30 for 30
30 for 30 is the umbrella title for a series of documentaries airing on ESPN and its sister networks. The series, which premiered in October 2009 and concluded in December 2010, chronicles 30 stories from the "ESPN era," each of which detail the issues, trends, people, teams, or events that...
series of 30 films celebrating ESPN's 30th anniversary.
As of February 2011 he is running a pro wrestling promotion, Mid South Wrestling.