New Orleans Breakers Flashback: Marcus Dupree

The New Orleans Breakers were a United States Football League franchise that played in the Louisiana Superdome for one season, in 1984.

The Breakers began their USFL tenure in Boston, in 1983, but a stadium issue forced a move, allowing New Orleans real estate developer Joe Canizaro to buy the team, and move it to New Orleans for the 1984 season.

In 1984, the Breakers began the season 5-0, but went 3-10 the rest of the way, and missed the USFL playoffs.

New Orleans supported the team well, with the Breakers averaging 30,557 per game, but the USFL opted to move their schedule from the spring to the fall in 1986, and with the Saints in town, the franchise elected to move to Portland for the 1985 season.

All summer long, we’re looking back at former players for the New Orleans Breakers.

Today, running back Marcus Dupree.

A native of Philadelphia, Mississippi, Dupree was a prized recruit, who ended up signing with the Oklahoma Sooners.

In his freshman campaign of 1982, Dupree was named Football News Freshman of the Year, a second team All-American and the Big Eight Conference Newcomer of the Year, after rushing 1,144 yards and 13 touchdowns.

After a disappointing sophomore season in 1983, on in which he rushed for 369 yards and three touchdowns, Dupree transferred to the University of Southern Mississippi, but never played a game there.

The 6-foot-2, 225-pounder wound up signing with the New Orleans Breakers, where he rushed for 689 yards and nine touchdowns in 1984.

The following season, in 1985, with the Portland Breakers, Dupree rushed for 69 yards and one score.

After being out of football for four years, Dupree caught on with the NFL's Los Angleles Rams in 1990, where in two seasons he rushed for 151 yards and one touchdown.

The college recruiting of Dupree was the subject of a book by Willie Morris titled "The Courting of Marcus Dupree".

An ESPN documentary on Dupree, titled "The Best That Never Was" was part of the 30 for 30 series celebrating ESPN's 30th anniversary.

Dupree has recently been involved in professional wrestling, running an independent promotion.

Below is an interview with Dupree, while he was with the New Orleans Breakers:

Below are some Dupree highlights, from his college days at Oklahoma: