[Elvis]

Ex-Sooners Star Marcus Dupree: Other Schools Offered $250K Per Year, Oil Well

Thursday, September 24, 2015 7:44 pmWritten by: ThePostGame Staff

Back in the 1980s, there was no bigger high school football recruit than Marcus Dupree. Competition for the running back was so high -- and in blatant violation of NCAA rules -- that there have been books, documentaries, and numerous other chroniclings of the big-money battle to win Dupree's verbal commitment.

Speaking on the ESPN show "Highly Questionable" with Dan Le Batard and Bomani Jones, Dupree shared a few of the more audacious offers he received. In one case, a school offered Dupree $250,000 a year to attend their school.

Another offer him an oil well. As in, a drilling-the-earth-for-black-gold well all for Dupree and his family.

Screw Cadillacs -- an oil well is the best recruiting bribe there's ever been. Here's Dupree speaking on the show's segment:

Dupree went on to have an incredible freshman season at Oklahoma -- after receiving who knows what under-the-table offers to come play in Norman. He averaged 8.5 yards per carry that season, earning second-team All-America honors and being named the Big Eight Newcomer of the Year.

In his sophomore season, though, Dupree suffered a concussion midway through the season and shortly thereafter -- and amid considerable mystery -- decided to transfer to Southern Miss. He never played for the Golden Eagles due to rules requiring him to sit out a season.

Dupree did patch together some time playing professionally in the USFL in 1984-85. After Dupree sat out for years, Walter Payton wound up encouraging him to give football one more shot. He cut weight, got into shape and caught on with the St. Louis Rams. He played 15 games over two seasons, amassing just 251 yards in his NFL career.

And so, with Dupree's incredible recruiting stories comes the disappointments of his college and professional careers, his talent upset by circumstance.

[TSFH Fan]

I dunno . . . if Eric Dickerson was going for just 50k and a Trans Am, that 250k and an oil well seems a bit steep . . . or complete BS.

[dieterbrock]

I hate ESPN but have to give them props on their 30 for 30 series. The episode on Dupree was really good, brought back many memories. And the one on Randy Moss really made me look at him differently. Favorite episode is on the 1983 draft

[den-the-coach]

Let's get it right, he played for the Los Angeles Rams not the St. Louis Rams~