30 FOR 30: THE BEST THAT NEVER WAS (TV)

Summary

One in this series of sports documentaries presented by ESPN about important people and events from 1979 to 2009.

This film is about the tumultuous and misfortune-laden career of football player Marcus Dupree. The small, somewhat isolated town of Philadelphia, Mississippi, has a history associated with the Civil Rights Movement as the site where three civil rights workers disappeared on June 21st, 1964, creating a national controversy when their bodies are discovered in a nearby dam. Local law enforcement seems to be complicit in their deaths and covers them up. The ramifications of these events last for many years after they transpired. It is around this time that Dupree is born, and as a child he dreams of becoming a football player. He recounts his childhood, mostly spent playing football with other neighborhood kids. Even at a young age, he is noticed by his peers for his speed and strength. By the time he is in eighth grade, Dupree is already renowned throughout the school district for his prowess, and he is recruited to the high school team early. He plays his first high school game on September 8th, 1978, and amazes onlookers by scoring a touchdown on his very first play. This becomes something of a semi-common occurrence at Dupree’s games, and other high school teams try to adjust their strategies specifically to deal with him.

By 1981, Dupree is known throughout Philadelphia and draws a great deal of attention to the football scene there. In doing so, he draws attention away from the town’s checkered history; the town’s schools were integrated in 1970, making Dupree and his class the first children in the county to receive entirely integrated schooling. One of Dupree’s teammates is Cecil Price Jr., the son of the deputy sheriff convicted for his involvement in the deaths of the three civil rights workers in 1964. He recounts that his father, long after being released from prison, takes great interest in the high school football games and becomes one of Dupree’s fans. The entire team, and by extension the town, takes pride in Dupree’s accomplishments and abilities; some recount that his presence helped bring townsfolk of all different races together to the stands for a common purpose, something unthinkable at the time of Dupree’s birth.

Dupree attends a high school football game taking place on September 4th, 2009. By his senior year of high school, Dupree retains his speed despite his imposing size, and breaks several records for high school football. College recruiters come out in droves to court Dupree; he estimates that several hundred schools attempted to recruit him. Prominent college football coaches turn up in person to speak to Dupree, and intense competition amongst them is expected. At this point, Dupree’s younger brother Reggie undergoes treatments for his cerebral palsy, which he was born with. The brothers are quite close, and Dupree’s friends note that Reggie proves to be a motivating factor for Dupree’s prowess. Reggie’s disability weighs heavily on Dupree’s conscience, and he hopes that his football talents can earn him enough to afford costly treatments for Reggie. The many coaches attempting to recruit Dupree pursue him intensely, monitoring him and his family and making monetary offers as a means of swaying his choice. His friends and teammates are also contacted and bribed into trying to influence Dupree. 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. One relative, his uncle Curlee, is offered jobs and money by various coaches, and feels that he cannot ignore such offers. He becomes a factor in the recruitment negotiations, and he advises Dupree to join the University of Southern Mississippi, as he feels they “wanted him more” and would do more than other schools to ensure his safety and success.

In January 1982, Dupree narrows his choices down to three: Oklahoma, Texas, and Southern Mississippi. Texas and Oklahoma send their recruiters, Tommy Reaux and Lucious Selmon, to live in Philadelphia full-time until signing day. Later that month, Dupree visits the University of Texas and decides to commit to joining that school, but upon returning to Mississippi he decides to visit the University of Oklahoma anyway. Oklahoma sends several of its alumni, at that time celebrated NFL players, to Mississippi to speak to Dupree. Dupree finally comes to a decision on February 12th, 1982, when he signs with Oklahoma. This comes as a surprise to the other schools vying for his attention, and some suspect that he was coerced into joining Oklahoma. Several days later, Dupree confides in his friends that he feels he has “made a terrible mistake” in joining Oklahoma. However, he goes on to Oklahoma and is coached by Barry Switzer, who instantly recognizes Dupree’s talent and skill. Switzer wishes to avoid “playing favorite” and becomes known for criticizing elements of Dupree’s play style. Dupree feels ostracized by Switzer, and others believe that Switzer’s attitude is unnecessary. Dupree is not permitted to play for most of their games, and the University of Oklahoma suffers a string of devastating losses.

Soon after these losses, Switzer makes the surprising announcement that the team is abandoning their vaunted “wishbone” offensive strategy in favor of one involving a single running back, favoring Dupree. This change in play style pays off, as Dupree utilizes it to achieve touchdowns. His efforts work to reverse Oklahoma’s losing streak, earning him numerous accolades and great notoriety. Many label him as the greatest running back to ever play college football. Despite his numerous successes, tension continues between Dupree and the Oklahoma coaching staff, owing to Dupree’s perceived “laid-back” attitude and lack of effort during practice sessions. At the same time, Dupree comes to feel that he is being treated unfairly and is not being given the same privileges and benefits of the other players, such as preferential housing and monetary compensation. Dupree leads his team to the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Day of 1983 against Arizona. Dupree comes back from break slightly overweight and out of condition, annoying Switzer since Arizona is noted as having the best rush defense in the country. In spite of this, Switzer still puts Dupree on the field and he manages to penetrate Arizona’s defense, although the effort takes a toll on him physically. He receives several injuries and has to be sidelined at several points during the game; even out of condition he manages to set a Fiesta Bowl records for rushed yards, a record which still stands. Arizona manages to win, and Switzer laments that if Dupree was in better shape he would have performed phenomenally and led Oklahoma to victory.

Switzer goes on television immediately after the game to complain about Dupree’s performance. The media interprets this as Switzer blaming the loss at the Fiesta Bowl on Dupree. This incident serves to escalate the tension between Dupree and Switzer. Dupree gives an interview to Sports Illustrated in the summer of 1983 in which he expounds upon his distaste for Switzer and for the University of Oklahoma. He regrets doing so, and recounts that he was “burnt out” at the time from the goings-on around him. 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. In August 1983, Dupree snubs Oklahoma by not appearing for the team photograph, but arrives at practice the next day. The media’s expectations of Dupree grow to the point where many believe that he would become the first college football player to win the Heisman Trophy in his sophomore year. The team gets off to a bad start, and Dupree suffers a leg injury during a game which takes him out of commission for a time. He recovers and despite his injury manages to perform well for a game against Kansas State. Oklahoma faces their rivals, Texas, and he attempts to play despite his injured condition as a response to challenges leveled at him from some of the Texas players. The game takes place on October 8th, 1983, and Dupree’s condition takes his toll on him, affecting his performance. At one point in the game he suffers a terrible concussion from a tackle and is sidelined for the remainder of the game. The concussion leaves him dazed and unable to respond to questions.

He returns home to Philadelphia for a time and decides that he cannot return to Oklahoma. For several days thereafter, his whereabouts are unknown even to his mother. A missing person’s report is filed, and the FBI launches a search for him. After several days Dupree decides to contact his mother and reveal his location. Switzer and the rest of the coaching staff tell him to return, threatening to expel him from the team if he does not. In mid-October of 1983, Dupree decides not to return to Oklahoma at all. Instead, he decides to visit Southern Mississippi, believing that the staff there would be more amenable to him than they were in Oklahoma. However, once he enrolls in Southern Mississippi, he is informed that his eligibility to play in the remainder of the 1983 season and the entire 1984 is uncertain. Dupree does his best to keep in shape, and in early 1984 decides to leave Southern Mississippi in order to sign with the USFL. The USFL is skeptical of this arrangement, and Dupree’s agents try to sway them with the “illusion” that he is being considered by the NFL, despite their rules making it extremely unlikely that they would do so. Ultimately, the USFL waives its own regulations in order to sign Dupree for the New Orleans Breakers. They make a grand ceremony of his signing on March 3rd, 1984 at the Superdome.

Dupree plays his first game for the Breakers on March 11th, 1984, and plays well despite still being somewhat out of shape. He is enthusiastically welcomed by the team and appreciates the attention he receives by them and the fans. However, he discovers that he is being cheated out of his salary by his agent Ken Fairley; Fairley has power of attorney and keeps intercepting Dupree’s paychecks under the pretense of “investing” them. The season continues, and Dupree suffers chronic problems with his hamstring, sidelining him for a time. He is taken out of a number of games, but starts the next season. He is plagued by anxiety, and on February 25th, 1985, Dupree suffers a terrible knee injury during his starting game. He is carried off the field in a stretcher. The injury is severe enough to end his career with the Breakers, and when the NFL declares him eligible a year afterward it is already too late for him to recover. It is declared that he “will never play again,” and the money he made with the Breakers soon evaporates, particularly after a series of lawsuits concerning bad loans that Fairley took out. Dupree sues Fairley in an attempt to recover some of his money. He feels an extra twinge of regret when the 1985 Oklahoma college team goes on to win the national championship.

In the present-day, Dupree visits the house that once belonged to his deceased mother, combing through his old trophies and possessions. The circumstances surrounding Dupree’s departure from football takes a tremendous physical and emotional toll on him, and at the age of 23 he is described as being like “an old man.” Around 1989, Dupree comes to believe that he might be able to play football again and begins an intense training regimen, dropping over 100 pounds in the space of a few months. In the summer of 1990, Dupree is invited to Los Angeles to attend the Rams training camp. He uses this as an attempt to make a comeback, and he plays in a game against the Giants on November 11th, 1990, making his official NFL debut. He enjoys the experience, and feels that he finally got some vindication after years of suffering. He plays with the Rams and leads in rushing until 1992, when he is cut from the team. However, he is not bothered by the decision, feeling that he accomplished what he set out to do. Afterwards, Dupree earns his commercial driver’s license and becomes a truck driver, aided by Price Jr. and his father. He views old footage of his high school games and visits the field where they took place, becoming emotional about the death of his mother, who passed away in 2004. Reggie is happily married and living in Alabama, and Dupree joins a crew cleaning up an oil spill off the coast of Mississippi. Those who knew Dupree declare that he is possibly the best running back who ever played football. Commercials deleted.

(This program contains audiovisual errors. It represents the best copy available at this time.)

Details

• NETWORK: ESPN
• DATE: November 9, 2010 9:00 PM
• RUNNING TIME: 1:45:30
• COLOR/B&W: Color
• CATALOG ID: 114727
• GENRE: Public affairs/Documentaries; Sports
• SUBJECT HEADING: African-American Collection - Sports; TV - Public affairs/documentaries; TV - Sports
• SERIES RUN: ESPN, TV series, 2009-
• COMMERCIALS: N/A

CREDITS

• Keith Clinkscales … Executive Producer
• John Dahl … Executive Producer
• Joan Lynch … Executive Producer
• Connor Schell … Executive Producer
• Bill Simmons … Executive Producer
• John Skipper … Executive Producer
• John Walsh … Executive Producer
• Philip Aromando … Producer
• Arunima Dhar … Producer
• Alex Evans … Associate Producer
• Kristin McDowell … Associate Producer
• Mike Tollin … Consulting Producer
• Jonathan Hock … Director, Writer
• Stephanie Bencin … Researcher
• Robert Miller … Music by
• Anthony Mackie … Narrator
• Marcus Dupree … Interviewee
• Sid Salter … Interviewee
• Leroy Clemens … Interviewee
• Alvin Kidd … Interviewee
• Joe Wood … Interviewee
• Billy Watkins … Interviewee
• James Mars … Interviewee
• Leon Baxtrum … Interviewee
• Daran Jackson … Interviewee
• Kevin Warren … Interviewee
• Charles "Tree" McAfee … Interviewee
• Cecil Price Jr. … Interviewee
• Fred Akers … Interviewee
• Scott Hill … Interviewee
• Tommy Reaux … Interviewee
• Lucious Selmon … Interviewee
• Michael Smith … Interviewee
• Tom Goode … Interviewee
• Curlee Connors … Interviewee
• Ken Fairley … Interviewee
• Barry Switzer … Interviewee
• James Hale … Interviewee
• Mick Cornett … Interviewee
• Randy Vataha … Interviewee
• Clemon Terrell … Interviewee
• Bud Holmes … Interviewee
• Reggie Dupree