Philadelphia, Mississippi is known to many as the city where three civil rights workers named Cheney, Goodman and Schwerner were murdered in the sweltering summer of 1964. Not less than 20 years later, Ronald Reagan officially opened his campaign after becoming the Republican nominee with a speech in Philadelphia with an emphasis on the Southern Strategy of "states rights". Fast forward to 1981, where the world of college football surprisingly convened upon Philadelphia for the fierce recruiting battle of the number one national prospect Marcus Dupree.
The Courting of Marcus Dupree paints a picture of how Philadelphia and Neshoba County comes together to celebrate Dupree during his senior season. This is a surprisingly complex tale that does a great job of exploring a number of issues including the civil rights movement, college football recruiting, the journey home for a Southerner, the relationship between man and his dog and friendships. Willie Morris wrote a gem that I would highly recommend for anyone interested in any of these subjects.
I became interested in the tale of Marcus Dupree after watching the ESPN 40 for 40 short film titled The Best That Never Was. Director Jonathan Houck's personal statement explains the film
When ESPN invited me to be one of the select directors for its ambitious 30-for-30 project, I accepted without hesitation. This is a story I’ve been wanting to put on film for years, a story that embodies both what’s right and what’s wrong about sports in America, and since it plays out over the course of the last thirty years, I thought it would be perfect for this project. It’s the story of Marcus Dupree, who was one of the most famously recruited high school football players of his generation. Today, Marcus is a 46-year-old part-time truck driver, struggling to get by, remembered by those who watched him as “the best that never was.” The lure of fast money; the brutality of his sport; and above all, a young man’s lack of understanding of what the big-time college football world demanded of him and how fast it could turn on him; all these led to Marcus’s downfall as an athlete.
Philadelphia, Mississippi, was the site of one of the most notorious acts of terrorism during the Civil Rights Era in the 1960s: the murders of three young men helping to register black voters who had come to Philadelphia in 1964 to investigate the burning of a church that supported civil-rights activities. Marcus was born a month before the killings, and eventually would join the first class to go through integrated public schools in the state. When Marcus was establishing himself as the best high school running back in the nation, Philadelphians white and black took pride in him, and in the fully integrated team that he led. He was the town’s first shared joy.
It would be naive to believe that Marcus singlehandedly gave rise to a “New South.” But it would be cynical to disbelieve that he did help change the lives of the people of a small town with a horrible past. It is here that the best of sport still resides—in its ability to tear down the isolation and separateness that permeate everyday life in America, and to give people something bigger than themselves to share, a way to transcend the distinctions that otherwise keep them apart. For this experience, Marcus feels blessed beyond any measure of wealth or fame that might have come his way had things played out differently. “The Best That Never Was” is a story infused with sadness and loss. But its hero is a man who is at peace with it all.
Marcus Dupree may have actually been the "Best that Never Was" as his college career lasted one and a half seasons at the University of Oklahoma and his professional career was marred by injury. I learned about this book after the film aired last year and proceeded to order it on Amazon. It took me several months to finish, simply because it's a book that requires your full attention.
As someone both fascinated and saddened by the South and it's history of race relations I became engrossed in Morris's writing and personal relationship with his home state of Mississippi. The town of Philadelphia, Mississippi needed a hero in the 1980's and that hero was Marcus Dupree. Many might criticize the attention that a high school football recruit receives; however, it's easy to recognize and accept the pride that Philadelphia has for the prized Dupree.
Good sports books go beyond the tale of competition and the focus upon one athlete. This is a great sports book that does much more than offer a biographical portrait of one person and their athletic achievements. Willie Morris provides a unique social commentary that is interwoven with wonderful storytelling. One of the best books of any genre that I've read in many years.
Two thumbs up.