It's been nearly 31 years since a Philadelphia High School freshman named Marcus Dupree returned the opening kickoff in his first- ever varsity game 75-yards for a touchdown and began the journey to becoming a legend.
In the next four years, Dupree became the highest recruited player in the country. His story has everyone talking, even today. In fact, ESPN is in the process to making a movie about the story in a book written by Willie Morris entitled "The Courting of Marcus Dupree."
"ESPN is celebrating its 30th year and they are in the process of making movies about their top 30 ESPN events," said Dupree, who now lives in Shreveport, La. "They have chosen my story as one of those stories. Each movie has a director and they have already done some of the filming. I am going to be back in Philadelphia in the next month to film the rest of it."
A film crew was at Philadelphia High School in the early spring and did some preliminary filming. Dupree said he was told earlier this month that the filming had to be completed in October for the movie to be shown in December, possibly during bowl week.
"They had said they were going to move it back to early next year," Dupree said. "But they called today (Saturday) and said they needed to get it wrapped up."
Raised in Philadelphia, Dupree's friend, Alvin Kidd, talked his mom into letting him go out for varsity football his freshman year in 1978. Dupree's speed, size and natural ability turned him into a highly recruited prep player who was recruited by nearly every college team in America.
"There was a lot of attention and things going on," Dupree said as he looked back at this part of his life. "But at the time, I was just going to school and having fun with my friends.
"Looking back, I was out there alone. I had my mother and my grandparents and my friends. But we hadn't been through anything like this before."
Dupree decided to sign with the University of Oklahoma. He had a good freshman season but left early in his sophomore year following a dispute with Coach Barry Switzer. Looking back, he said he would do things the same.
"Going to Oklahoma was the best decision for me," Dupree said. "I don't regret it. I was up for the Heisman Trophy after my freshman year and it was a great opportunity.
"I have heard someone asked Coach Switzer what was his biggest mistake while coaching in college and he said it was the way he handled Marcus Dupree. He was under a lot of pressure then. You are expected to win when you are coaching at Oklahoma. An 8-3 record is considered a losing season. He had a lot on him. They are going to interview him for the movie but I don't think they have done it yet."
Dupree later enrolled at the University of Southern Mississippi but decided not to stay after he learned he would have to sit out two seasons before getting to play football again.
He signed with the New Orleans Breakers of the USFL but would injure his knee in a game in Arizona into his second season. Dupree did get a shot at the NFL when he played with the Rams. His pro career ended with an injury in 1992.
Dupree stayed closed to football over the years. He was first a scout for the CFL and later the Washington Redskins. He was also the general manager of the Shreveport team in the Arena2 Football League.
Currently, he's getting ready to launch an Athletic Republic franchise in the Hattiesburg area. According to Internet reports, Athletic Republic is the industry leader in performance sports training, offering science-based programs appropriate for athletes of all ages. Since 1990, nearly 600,000 athletes have taken advantage of individualized sport-specific training programs designed to enhance their speed, power and agility to gain more than just a step on their competition. Athletic Republic's performance sports training network totals more than 160 facilities throughout North America, the United Kingdom, Russia and Japan.
"I think I can make a difference with kids who are coming up and playing sports and looking to the future," Dupree said. "I'll be moving to Hattiesburg in the next few months to open my franchise. My goal is to make a difference in their lives and maybe give them some insights that might help them along the way."
In addition to football, Dupree loves raising and riding horses. He is interested in spotted walking horses. He owns three spotted horses and is getting into breeding with the help of local horse owner Jimmy McKenzie.
Dupree said he may show up at The Neshoba County Fair this week where some friends of his own race horses.
"I've always loved horses. When I come through Philadelphia, I visit friends at their farm and ride horses," Dupree said. "I keep one of my spotted horses at Jimmy's barn and we are talking about some projects."
McKenzie, who works as a security guard at Philadelphia High School, has been around horses all of his life.
"Marcus has asked me to help him with breeding," McKenzie said. "I have a stallion of his in my barn and he is moving another. There is a lot to breeding spotted horses."
McKenzie and Dupree are also working on a project that would bring city kids to the country to get a chance to ride a horse.
"You put any kid on a horse and you just see him light up," McKenzie said. "A lot of urban kids never get a chance to ride a horse and Marcus wants to provide that opportunity.
"He knows people around the country who have already set up organizations like this and he is getting information about it. I think you'll hear something in the next month or two."
Dupree said that helping young people avoid some of the mistakes he has made in life is his goal.
"I just want to help," Dupree said. "Whether through Athletic Republic or the urban horse riding program, I want to reach out to kids and share things I have learned so they don't make the same mistakes."
