Dupree was the center of the most heated recruiting frenzy in the history of college football back in 1981. 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. This comes as a surprise to the other schools vying for his attention, and some suspect that he was coerced into joining Oklahoma. He regrets doing so, and recounts that he was burnt out at the time from the goings-on around him. ESPN and First Take regular Marcus Spears married to former WNBA player. His little brother Reggie was disabled and was unable to run or do activities like marcus or other kids. He is 19 years old and sitting before a cadre of sportswriters from Chicago and New York, L.A., Washington and. 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 is an actor and producer, known for fragmented. Five have pleaded guilty. Of course, you dont make up that kind of money.. In hindsight, you keep going back to a statement that Switzer made when Dupree left OU. He is not sure of his plans at this time, but it is obvious he will not be playing football at U.S.M.. These and other payments are now under criminal investigation. 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. When you do wrong and just keep doing wrong, the bottom is going to finally fall out. I didn't even know about that, nothing. Dupree and head coach Barry Switzer were at odds. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Also on the porch. That turns out to be true. After his freshman season at the University of Oklahoma, Marcus Dupree was on pace to become one of the all-time great college football running backs. He is carried off the field in a stretcher. He recovers and despite his injury manages to perform well for a game against Kansas State. He was big, fast, and strong with incredible football instincts. The problem is, its not like high school when Coach (Joe) Wood made it fun. I just figured it was all being put into savings for me. I don't know what Brett did. I have to give . Follow@BillyWatkins11 on Twitter. It would be best for him. His second and final season in the USFL was short-lived after sustaining a severe knee injury. However, his relationship with Switzer became increasingly strained. A quick check of the numbers shows he rushed for 5,284 yards in three seasons and scored 87 touchdowns, breaking Walker's mark with the final carry of his career. [4] In 1981, Marcus's final high school football game was played on the Choctaw Indian Reservation's tribal high school's Warriors Stadium. [7], On January 1, 1983, Dupree's freshman season ended with a 32-21 Fiesta Bowl loss against Arizona State. I never saw a cent of that. What did Marcus Dupree . It was a major career threatening blow out . Marcus Dupree, a Mississippi football legend, denies that he defrauded the state's welfare system and is "shocked" to be "lumped in" with Brett Favre in the fraud investigation's findings. . Dupree and Fairley have been at odds for some time now after the former Oklahoma football star alleged that Fairley cheated him out of millions of dollars in the 1980's. Dupree sued Fairley for. After Dupree had been out of football for four years, he met with Walter Payton on some business ventures and Payton urged him to get back into shape to try out for the NFL again in 1990. Dupree's defection after the Texas game last October doomed the '83 OU season to mediocrity, and the slightest hint that he might return for '84 could have a devastating effect on the high school players the Sooners are trying to recruit for next season. My signing bonus was $300,000. Alleged haircut has NBA fans in a spin. . ). People from Southern Mississippi continue to try to court Dupree, and some try to convince him to leave college and go directly to playing for the NFL. He is enthusiastically welcomed by the team and appreciates the attention he receives by them and the fans. Marcus dupree mvp college recruiting &, consulting is dedicated to help guide and educate high school student athletes playing football and other sports. As a junior in 1980, he rushed for 2,550 yards and scored 34 touchdowns (25 rushing, 9 by kick return). Despite not starting until the seventh game of the season, Dupree finished with 1,144 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns. 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.". There was such a lack of communication. Reggies disability weighs heavily on Duprees conscience, and he hopes that his football talents can earn him enough to afford costly treatments for Reggie. The Oklahoma coach, by issuing a statement, simply acted to protect himself and to protect his team's future. Brett Favre is not among those facing criminal charges, but, like Dupree, he remains a defendant in the ongoing civil lawsuit filed by the state of Mississippi in May. 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. Marcus played spring football for the Golden Eagles and finished college at the university. The late Reggie White remains one of the greatest linemen to play any brand of football. 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. Coming back from Christmas break, he was out of shape and 1015 pounds overweight, for which Switzer publicly criticized him. Afterwards, Dupree earns his commercial drivers license and becomes a truck driver, aided by Price Jr. and his father. Dupree said he couldn't quantify how many times he mentored teens at his horse farm, but he says over the roughly two-year period he was paid by the state he also made 20 to 30 appearances working as a liaison for Families First, traveling Mississippi to speak in prisons and schools and recording radio commercials. Despite not starting until the seventh game of the season, Dupree still finished the season with 1,144 rushing yards, averaging a whopping 7.8 yards per carry. "Since the announcement was made that Marcus was leaving school, a number of pro teams have inquired," Fairley said. Marcus is thought to live with girlfriend, Kim, and enjoys spending time with his family. Marcus dupree was one of the most exciting college football prospects of all time. A 6-foot-2, 225-pounder who was once clocked at 4.29 in a 40-yard dash, he toyed with high school defenders. However, after a federal judge ruled that the eligibility rule violated antitrust law, the Breakerswho had just moved from Bostonquickly persuaded the New Jersey Generals to give up their territorial rights to Dupree (OU was among the Generals' territorial schools) in return for their first-round pick in the 1985 USFL Draft. Marcus Dupree is in an Oklahoma uniform of sorts again. The NCAA ruled that Dupree would have to miss one full season after transferring, meaning he would have to miss the rest of the 1983 season and all of 1984. Fairley, 62, faces up to 25 years in prison. In February of 2020, agents from the State Auditor's Office arrested Nancy New, her son Zach New, Davis, retired wrestler Brett DiBiase, agency employee Latimer Smith, and nonprofit accountant Ann. Marcus Dupree's age is 58. 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. "I mentored the kids through the horses by having responsibility, cleaning the stalls, and, if you got good with that, I'd let you ride a horse. If you look at the evidence, it seems clear the best thing Dupree can do is go pro. Several days later, Dupree confides in his friends that he feels he has made a terrible mistake in joining Oklahoma. His football journey was profiled in a 2010 ESPN 30 for 30 documentary, "The Best That Never Was.". Dupree returned to professional football in 1990. I then looked down at my knee and, literally, tore the cast off. As a sophomore, he rushed for 1,850 yards and 28 touchdowns, making it look easy. left his mother, Cella Dupree Connors, and his little brother Reggie, a 10-year-old who was born with cerebral palsy and has already endured 10 operations. White said his office found "limited evidence" Dupree or anyone else ever delivered those sorts of services to the needy. One relative, his uncle Curlee, is offered jobs and money by various coaches, and feels that he cannot ignore such offers. This change in play style pays off, as Dupree utilizes it to achieve touchdowns. 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. His football journey was profiled in a 2010 ESPN 30 for 30 documentary, "The Best That Never Was.". He also competed in track & field, recording a 4.29 40-yard dash. That was unfair. 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. Favre has denied wrongdoing. At 5:29 p.m. Monday, Marcus Dupree was feeding his horses in Philadelphia when a text came through: Guilty. The superstar that he did not become and the man he is today are the subject of a new documentary airing. After going to Oklahoma, he eventually wound up in the USFL, where he suffered a career-threatening knee injury. Be patient and stay with the process.. On January 1, 1983, Dupree's freshman season ended with a 32-21 Fiesta Bowl loss against Arizona State. It is around this time that Dupree is born, and as a child he dreams of becoming a football player. 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