If you tried to tell people about Marcus Dupree without the film to prove it, no one would believe you. He was an absolute freak of nature, a bigger faster version of Herschel Walker.
I played at Bama with his son Marquez. Was a very talented running back as well. Was very injury prone after a freshman pre-season torn ACL. A family of leashed talent.
Herschel, Bo, Eric Dickerson and Marcus all in college at same time. WOW!! i think Herschel was Best Collage back ever, Bo was greatest athlete ever, Dickerson was among greatest nfl backs ever and Marcus was a " could have been " all time great in both college and pro
The cut and the burst at 2:11!!! OMG!!! Dupree was a monster. To bad he was a momma's boy and got home sick. He could have been the greatest of all time. He played in the era of the big backs [i.e. Marcus Allen, Eric Dickerson, Bo Jackson, Mike Rozier, Curt Warner, etc...).
@Baltimorehop Living in Canada i remember OU QB J.C. Watts.. he was awesome in the CFL, We also had Turner Gill from Nebraska in Montreal and when i was really young Johnny Rogers from Nebraska played for Montreal.....i think he won Rookie of the Year.... man he was fast!
Marcus Dupree of Philadelphia Mississippi was in my humble opinion the greatest running back in Oklahoma Sooner history. Dupree still holds the rushing record in the Fiesta Bowl.
The guy was a great RB. Power and unbelievable speed. I was at the USFL game at Sun Devil Stadium when he blew his knee out. I was telling a friend on the way to the game "wait til you see this guy he was explosive in college" and then he goes down right after half time. He was the best that never was
@quincee33 ~ According to reports in that day, yes he was. He also left OU and tried to transfer to a college in his home state of Mississippi. I distinctly remember game announcers, perhaps Keith Jackson and/or others, mentioning that Dupree was home sick while he was at OU. Nonetheless, he did leave OU then resurfaced in the USFL in 1984. I didn't have to wiki that to know that b/c I was smack dab into the NCAA in the early 80's.
@Rafa38 I'm a Husker fan however you are incorrect that Rozier gained more yards in this game than Dupree. Rozier carried 15 times for 96 yards, to Dupree's 25 carries 149 yards.
Texas sent earl Campbell to recruit Dupree and OU sent Billy Sims to do the same But billy Sims was marcus Dupree Hero rest is history Billy Sims is the reason Dupree came to OU
Rozier did make two Pro Bowls, he did rush for over 1,000 yards one season I would not classify his NFL to be a bust, it wasn't as good as I'd thought it would have been, it may have been he had too many carries before he got to the pros.
@TheReverendTony thanks dude, but i live in Canada and we don't get ESPN...We get TSN which picks up alot of ESPN shows like 30 for 30 and PTI.....i really hope TSN picks up The Best that never was.....the title says it all...sounds awesome! i'll let you know if we get it...thanks for the 411
@forest5668 Marcus Dupree would have been so much worse off at UT than OU as Switzer could have gotten the best from him had he been willing. His family being his 3 sons and their mother declined inclusion but they are part of why Marcus and many, many like him are not willing is that they can't. Such as Marquez Dupree was born to Marcus the week after this Nebraska game with Landon two years later. You can fill out the rest of that side of the story Peace and love, The Reverend Tony
I realize the time has come actually it’s truly overdue the O offensive did a wonderful job actually a great blowing The defense of the opposing team off The line of scrimmage. Truly a great job men👍🏿👍🏻💎😎
Just a note your info on this video is wrong, Nebraska was not ranked #1 going into this game they were #3, at any rate Marcus Dupree was an amazing player, sadly is immaturity and people meddling with his head cut short an amazing college career. I was elated when the Rams picked up up later on.
This is what we have to get back to. Big plays, sooner magic, whatever you want to call it. We have not looked like the oklahoma I knew during the stoops years..IE meaning, we have shown no ability to come back. It is easy to play while ahead...the mark of a true OU champion is fighting and getting the victory when you have to come from behind...
no one had more natural talent. that's about the easiest 86 yard run you'll ever see. marcus scored 87 touchdowns in high school, the first time he touched the ball in a game as a freshman, he returned a kick 75 yards. he was 6' 3", 219 lbs, and ran a 4.29 / 40.
That TD should have been the game right there. That TD should have taken the wind out of Nebraska’s sails. Nebraska should not have recovered from that TD.
Dupree was let down by his supposed advisors back home and his coach Switzer. At least Switzer admits his mistake. Marcus was a perfect specimen from God, but a bad cheap shot into his leg in the USFL doomed him, after the concussion at OU set him back as well. Damn, what might have been. Heartbreaking. And he's a GREAT guy, and a great CHRISTIAN. He's headed for heaven when his time on Earth passes.
Dupree was great, but to determine who is greater you have to factor in overall production. Dupree gained just 1274 yards in two seasons at OU, Rozier gained 2148 in 1983, 1689 in 1982, and over 943 in 1981, 4,780 for his collegiate career.. Case closed you lose.
That's a flawed comment. In his freshman season, Dupree had 5 games in which he carried the ball 9 or fewer times (he only had 26 total carries in those 5 games). Combined with his 4 games as a sophomore, Dupree essentially played one full season. Here were his totals at OU: 209 carries for 1,513 yards (7.2 ypc) and 16 touchdowns. He never played a college game after the age of 19.
@@markmills1135 Guys who run 4.5 don't break long runs every game like he did as a freshman .. You can see how he just smoothly ran away from guys that he had rare speed ..
@@duanethomas3217 Sad that he didn't have a mental maturity level to match his physical maturity level. If you can find ESPN'S documentary " The Greatest That Never Was", it is well worth watching.
Nope, he was not coachable at the time. He was getting bad advice from a preacher in Mississippi that swelled his head. Switzer revamped the offense at OU just for Dupree but he still couldn't make it. Switzer was as much a player's coach as there was. If he couldn't convince this kid to stick to it, no one could. He would have won three Heismans at OU, barring injury, if he would have stayed and worked even mildly hard.
Switzer said he did a horrible job communicating with this kid. He intentionally made OU unbearable for him trying to teach him a lesson rather than embrace him for the great player he was. In that last bowl game Dupree runs for 178 and Switzer talked about his conditioning and threw him under the bus. A lot of things went sideways for Dupree but if he was coached the way coaches interact with their players today he would be a legend. Old school coaching did not fit his personality type. Having no father in his life also did not help. Kinda like Vince Young really.
Not unless he had fully devoted himself to hard work habits. Dupree thought that everything would come easy, just like it had in high school. He just got too lazy and by his sophomore season he was out of shape. Barry Switzer publicly criticized Dupree's failure to get into proper physical condition. Dupree was not familiar with such scutiny. He got his feelings hurt and simply quit rather than putting in the work he needed to.
Bo was Faster and stronger! Inside too! The Heart! Lydell Carr was better! NONE of those guys struck THE FEAR in me and others more than Jamelle Holieway! Screw M DuDpree! Nebraska fan. Jamelle was THE best! Boomer Sooner ringing in my ears! For 3 days+! Go Big Red!
I don't know about that. Bigger back then Bo ? By about 10 pounds but very similar running styles. I would say Bo was actually a little quicker. A little bit more power with Dupree but not by much . Bo was running people over as well ( Like Brian Bozworth ). Bo was quicker.
ralfigs I agree of with you from what we saw from both of them Bo was better but we got to see Bo Jackson for 4 years we only got to see Marcus Dupree for year-and-a-half at Oklahoma oh what could have been.
He was lazy and he had a preacher "friend" back home that screwed with his mind trying to get into position to glean some of his NFL money when he made it to that level. Sad to say, he never made the NFL until years later when he briefly appeared on the Rams roster after he already blew out his knee in the USFL.
greatest natural and instinctive runner I ever saw..and I saw them all from Jim Brown...if he wasn't mismanaged by Oklahoma's coach..csn you believe he didn't start marcus..some excuse of" afraid of his greatness " .didnt know how to integrate it..fucked up kids future always criticize marcus.. could have been hof
Barry Switzer has admitted that he had some misgivings about his management of Dupree. Dupree has also admitted some regrets about his behavior at OU (such as a poor work ethic).
After watching the documentary about Dupree the thing that bothered me was the way Switzer and the RB coach Scott Hill were so contemptuous of his practice habits. They were obviously jealous of his "god given" ability
If Dupree had exercised more maturity and good judgement (like good practice habits and keeping himself in shape), Rozier couldn't have touched him. Dupree: 209 carries for 1,513 yards and 16 touchdowns....and he never played an NCAA game after the age of 19.
Rozier was awesome, but u gotta admit, his NFL years were average, nothing special. I always thot he'd be a total stud in NFL....maybe his stats were beefed up by playing behind an awesome O-Line.
Oh c'mon! Nebraska had the #1 rushing defense in the nation in 1982, and Dupree, as a freshman, put 149 yards on them in Lincoln. In addition, OU wasn't even a very good team in '82, as they lost 4 games.
Dupree vs. Rozier. OU vs. Nebraska. Good times. I miss the 80s college football.
Man, I miss the old OU/Nebraska games. This was such a good rivalry.
Nebraska comes to Norman this September.
Your correct. Screw Tx.
Dupree had unbelievable breakaway speed. Plus he was big and powerful. Very good vision also. Could have been an all time great.
Best ever and saddest story all time
If you tried to tell people about Marcus Dupree without the film to prove it, no one would believe you. He was an absolute freak of nature, a bigger faster version of Herschel Walker.
I played at Bama with his son Marquez. Was a very talented running back as well. Was very injury prone after a freshman pre-season torn ACL. A family of leashed talent.
😐 amazing..
literally amazing how good this man was athletically
Herschel, Bo, Eric Dickerson and Marcus all in college at same time. WOW!! i think Herschel was Best Collage back ever, Bo was greatest athlete ever, Dickerson was among greatest nfl backs ever and Marcus was a " could have been " all time great in both college and pro
Earl
Reggie
Steve Davis on the color.. what a wonderful guy he was
He could have been the greatest running back who ever played the game if he had stayed at Oklahoma for the full four years.
The cut and the burst at 2:11!!! OMG!!! Dupree was a monster. To bad he was a momma's boy and got home sick. He could have been the greatest of all time. He played in the era of the big backs [i.e. Marcus Allen, Eric Dickerson, Bo Jackson, Mike Rozier, Curt Warner, etc...).
Dupree was a BEAST!!!!
@Baltimorehop Living in Canada i remember OU QB J.C. Watts.. he was awesome in the CFL, We also had Turner Gill from Nebraska in Montreal and when i was really young Johnny Rogers from Nebraska played for Montreal.....i think he won Rookie of the Year.... man he was fast!
One of the most beautiful things I ever seen in my life 🙂
Marcus Dupree of Philadelphia Mississippi was in my humble opinion the greatest running back in Oklahoma Sooner history. Dupree still holds the rushing record in the Fiesta Bowl.
He made that town proud after what happened there the year of his birth.
You are a humble person, and stay that way. Not swollen headed like others we know.
The guy was a great RB. Power and unbelievable speed. I was at the USFL game at Sun Devil Stadium when he blew his knee out. I was telling a friend on the way to the game "wait til you see this guy he was explosive in college" and then he goes down right after half time. He was the best that never was
He is the best hands down..
Dupree should’ve been a legend 🏈💯
@quincee33 ~ According to reports in that day, yes he was. He also left OU and tried to transfer to a college in his home state of Mississippi. I distinctly remember game announcers, perhaps Keith Jackson and/or others, mentioning that Dupree was home sick while he was at OU. Nonetheless, he did leave OU then resurfaced in the USFL in 1984. I didn't have to wiki that to know that b/c I was smack dab into the NCAA in the early 80's.
Was at this game. The air went outta NU and the fans at that point. Very chilly game.
Color commentator is the late, great Steve Davis.
Dupree did play two seasons for the then Los Angeles Rams gaining 251 yards on 68 carries for his career.
@Rafa38 I'm a Husker fan however you are incorrect that Rozier gained more yards in this game than Dupree. Rozier carried 15 times for 96 yards, to Dupree's 25 carries 149 yards.
@Stevo5862 The Best That Never Was premieres November 9, 2010 at 7pm cst on ESPN
I was very happy when Dupree left OU. That is a positive statement about Dupree. I'm a husker!
Texas sent earl Campbell to recruit Dupree and OU sent Billy Sims to do the same But billy Sims was marcus Dupree Hero rest is history Billy Sims is the reason Dupree came to OU
Dupree got $$$$$ u left that out .
@@thetruth1635 Exactly. He got paid!
30 for 30 .
Greatest pure running back I have ever seen.
@quincee33 The Best That Never Was premieres November 9, 2010 at 7pm cst on ESPN
@Navdan87 The Best That Never Was premieres November 9, 2010 at 7pm cst on ESPN
@Baltimorehop The Best That Never Was premieres November 9, 2010 at 7pm cst on ESPN
Rozier did make two Pro Bowls, he did rush for over 1,000 yards one season I would not classify his NFL to be a bust, it wasn't as good as I'd thought it would have been, it may have been he had too many carries before he got to the pros.
@TheReverendTony thanks dude, but i live in Canada and we don't get ESPN...We get TSN which picks up alot of ESPN shows like 30 for 30 and PTI.....i really hope TSN picks up The Best that never was.....the title says it all...sounds awesome! i'll let you know if we get it...thanks for the 411
@tlgpad886 The Best That Never Was premieres tonight at 7 pm cst on ESPN featuring videos from the collection of The Reverend Tony™
The best that never was.
@SuperiorBadBoy The Best That Never Was premieres November 9, 2010 at 7pm cst on ESPN
@okla1982 The Best That Never Was premieres November 9, 2010 at 7pm cst on ESPN
@statman29neb The Best That Never Was premieres November 9, 2010 at 7pm cst on ESPN
Dupree!
@tlgpad886 He reminds me exactly of bo jackson, but a more graceful runner and better at shaking tacklers.
Q. What does the "N" on the Husker helmets stand for? A. Nowledge.
@forest5668 Marcus Dupree would have been so much worse off at UT than OU as Switzer could have gotten the best from him had he been willing.
His family being his 3 sons and their mother declined inclusion but they are part of why Marcus and many, many like him are not willing is that they can't. Such as Marquez Dupree was born to Marcus the week after this Nebraska game with Landon two years later. You can fill out the rest of that side of the story
Peace and love, The Reverend Tony
Dupree! See ya!
I realize the time has come actually it’s truly overdue the O offensive did a wonderful job actually a great blowing The defense of the opposing team off The line of scrimmage. Truly a great job men👍🏿👍🏻💎😎
Brent perks was a stud too
Just a note your info on this video is wrong, Nebraska was not ranked #1 going into this game they were #3, at any rate Marcus Dupree was an amazing player, sadly is immaturity and people meddling with his head cut short an amazing college career. I was elated when the Rams picked up up later on.
This is what we have to get back to. Big plays, sooner magic, whatever you want to call it. We have not looked like the oklahoma I knew during the stoops years..IE meaning, we have shown no ability to come back. It is easy to play while ahead...the mark of a true OU champion is fighting and getting the victory when you have to come from behind...
I guess the Big 12 title game against Nebraska (OU won after trailing 21-0) doesn't count.
no one had more natural talent. that's about the easiest 86 yard run you'll ever see. marcus scored 87 touchdowns in high school, the first time he touched the ball in a game as a freshman, he returned a kick 75 yards. he was 6' 3", 219 lbs, and ran a 4.29 / 40.
@Baltimorehop was he a momma's boy? what exactly did he do? didn't he go pro?
That TD should have been the game right there. That TD should have taken the wind out of Nebraska’s sails. Nebraska should not have recovered from that TD.
@nkoeppel
It's odd you say the bad knee is his fault considering his son suffered from the same problem. Hereditary maybe?...
amazing story I just Watched it!
Dupree was let down by his supposed advisors back home and his coach Switzer.
At least Switzer admits his mistake.
Marcus was a perfect specimen from God, but a bad cheap shot into his leg in the USFL doomed him, after the concussion at OU set him back as well.
Damn, what might have been. Heartbreaking. And he's a GREAT guy, and a great CHRISTIAN. He's headed for heaven when his time on Earth passes.
Dupree has also admitted that he made mistakes and should have stayed at OU.
@Rafa38 "THAN"
Dupree was great, but to determine who is greater you have to factor in overall production. Dupree gained just 1274 yards in two seasons at OU, Rozier gained 2148 in 1983, 1689 in 1982, and over 943 in 1981, 4,780 for his collegiate career..
Case closed you lose.
That's a flawed comment. In his freshman season, Dupree had 5 games in which he carried the ball 9 or fewer times (he only had 26 total carries in those 5 games). Combined with his 4 games as a sophomore, Dupree essentially played one full season. Here were his totals at OU: 209 carries for 1,513 yards (7.2 ypc) and 16 touchdowns.
He never played a college game after the age of 19.
Even the Husker fans said, “Whoa!”.😂
4.5 speed? Maybe if he was running backwards.
More like a sub 4.3 ... That announcer had the wrong guy in his notes .
@@duanethomas3217 saw him outrun a Missouri DB with legitimate 4.32 speed. It looked effortless.
@@markmills1135 Guys who run 4.5 don't break long runs every game like he did as a freshman .. You can see how he just smoothly ran away from guys that he had rare speed ..
@@duanethomas3217 Sad that he didn't have a mental maturity level to match his physical maturity level. If you can find ESPN'S documentary " The Greatest That Never Was", it is well worth watching.
Nope, he was not coachable at the time. He was getting bad advice from a preacher in Mississippi that swelled his head. Switzer revamped the offense at OU just for Dupree but he still couldn't make it. Switzer was as much a player's coach as there was. If he couldn't convince this kid to stick to it, no one could. He would have won three Heismans at OU, barring injury, if he would have stayed and worked even mildly hard.
Switzer said he did a horrible job communicating with this kid. He intentionally made OU unbearable for him trying to teach him a lesson rather than embrace him for the great player he was. In that last bowl game Dupree runs for 178 and Switzer talked about his conditioning and threw him under the bus. A lot of things went sideways for Dupree but if he was coached the way coaches interact with their players today he would be a legend. Old school coaching did not fit his personality type. Having no father in his life also did not help. Kinda like Vince Young really.
I believe Roger Craig ( Gill as well)may have had some yards this game as well? Nebraska out rushed OU this game .
Did the announcers really say 4.5 speed for Dupree? What?? Try 4.29!! That's what Dupree clocked in high school.
@soonerbobby70 hequit at halgtime in nebraskagame they hit him so hard
@forest5668 switzer could not have dupree and herschel walker on a tejas team
Too bad Dupree had that serious knee injury. Could have been a great NFL player.
Not unless he had fully devoted himself to hard work habits. Dupree thought that everything would come easy, just like it had in high school. He just got too lazy and by his sophomore season he was out of shape. Barry Switzer publicly criticized Dupree's failure to get into proper physical condition. Dupree was not familiar with such scutiny. He got his feelings hurt and simply quit rather than putting in the work he needed to.
@thoostorm4 Maybe that hit him hard i dont' know? More likely that he left because he was out of shape.
Has Dupree stayed, he would have been teammates with Troy aikman,. And played against Miami, in 85
Troy would have still transferred because Barry didn't run a pro style offense.
Bo was Faster and stronger! Inside too! The Heart! Lydell Carr was better! NONE of those guys struck THE FEAR in me and others more than Jamelle Holieway! Screw M DuDpree! Nebraska fan. Jamelle was THE best! Boomer Sooner ringing in my ears! For 3 days+! Go Big Red!
I still prefer Thomas Lott. Hollieway had one great season-his Freshman year. I sure miss the Wishbone triple option.
I don't know about that. Bigger back then Bo ? By about 10 pounds but very similar running styles. I would say Bo was actually a little quicker. A little bit more power with Dupree but not by much . Bo was running people over as well ( Like Brian Bozworth ). Bo was quicker.
ralfigs I agree of with you from what we saw from both of them Bo was better but we got to see Bo Jackson for 4 years we only got to see Marcus Dupree for year-and-a-half at Oklahoma oh what could have been.
Notice how teams actually huddled? You don't that much anymore.
Dupree was real good, but I think Sims was better.
i'd take billy in a heart beat, but dupree could have been better... but wasn't.
Sims had much better work habits.
He was lazy and he had a preacher "friend" back home that screwed with his mind trying to get into position to glean some of his NFL money when he made it to that level. Sad to say, he never made the NFL until years later when he briefly appeared on the Rams roster after he already blew out his knee in the USFL.
greatest natural and instinctive runner I ever saw..and I saw them all from Jim Brown...if he wasn't mismanaged by Oklahoma's coach..csn you believe he didn't start marcus..some excuse of" afraid of his greatness " .didnt know how to integrate it..fucked up kids future always criticize marcus..
could have been hof
Barry Switzer has admitted that he had some misgivings about his management of Dupree. Dupree has also admitted some regrets about his behavior at OU (such as a poor work ethic).
@rankinnwc Dude, really? I love Marcus but he was Lazy. LAAAAZZZY. Come on Man!
Barry Switzer is a Bully
Yes and no . By the time he was with Dallas he was to soft with no back bone.
Yes me too this is real stuff not the crap they have now it's terrible
After watching the documentary about Dupree the thing that bothered me was the way Switzer and the RB coach Scott Hill were so contemptuous of his practice habits. They were obviously jealous of his "god given" ability
Dupree was incredibly talented, but he had very poor work habits.
It's a shame what his so-called "friends" did to him!
4.5 speed come on announcers
Ran a 4.29 in high school
"Marcus Dupree was so much better than Mike Rozier . . . "
Kids, this is what happens when you drink whiskey for breakfast.
If Dupree had exercised more maturity and good judgement (like good practice habits and keeping himself in shape), Rozier couldn't have touched him. Dupree: 209 carries for 1,513 yards and 16 touchdowns....and he never played an NCAA game after the age of 19.
Time of possession means nothing. A team can score three TDS in 2 minutes.
@forest5668 why?????texassucks
Rozier was awesome, but u gotta admit, his NFL years were average, nothing special. I always thot he'd be a total stud in NFL....maybe his stats were beefed up by playing behind an awesome O-Line.
Marcus had the flu that day.
Well if Dupree would have played nebraskas 4:3 new defense in the 90's I promise you he would have been shut down!!!
Oh c'mon! Nebraska had the #1 rushing defense in the nation in 1982, and Dupree, as a freshman, put 149 yards on them in Lincoln. In addition, OU wasn't even a very good team in '82, as they lost 4 games.
@@windbagjones2081 better get your facts straight you don't know what your talking about!!!
Marcus Dupree is a bad person because Oklahoma beat Nebraska that day. He is a bad person.
Douglas Stejskal Ha! Nebraska beat OU in ‘81 ‘82 ‘83 :) Easy to find on Wikipedia :)
Wasn't much of a foot race?
@green5750 The Best That Never Was premieres November 9, 2010 at 7pm cst on ESPN
@jasmcc1 The Best That Never Was premieres November 9, 2010 at 7pm cst on ESPN
@nkoeppel
It's odd you say the bad knee is his fault considering his son suffered from the same problem. Hereditary maybe?...