Walking Away From Greatness

One of life’s tragedies is unfulfilled potential. Not everyone can achieve all that we are capable of doing. Some people can go ahead and achieve more than others by maximizing the gifts and talents that they have. Others seem to just waste away and throw all their opportunities away in becoming a success.

Recently, there were stories circulating about a young man who had skills on the football field that he became a threat to some all-time great athletes. The number 1 draft pick of 1981, Marcus Dupree, shattered the records in Philadelphia, Mississippi High School with his statistics of 87 touchdowns and 7,355 rushing yards. He broke the record of a football great Herschel Walker by just one touchdown. He was heavily being recruited. He received around 100 calls coming in daily from all colleges around the country. He ended up signing with Coach Barry Switzer and the Oklahoma Sooners.

At 19 years of age, he was the youngest player to wear the Sooner football jerseywho set foot on the University of Oklahoma’s gridiron. He was also the best on the football field, defeating all other players regardless of their experience and age. He was a powerful player with an arsenal of techniques including phenomenal speed, inordinate strength and power and great focus. These characteristics led him to the position of starting tailback for the team even if he was just a freshman.

This man got very lucky and he was truly destined to become a legend in football. It happened in way that was totally unexpected. It happened for a reason that nobody knows, not even Dupree himself could understand. What happened was, this very talented man suddenly lost interest in the sport. The coach accused him of becoming overweight and not in shape to play. He was also scolded for not giving his full efforts during the training lessons.

Then, during his sophomore year at the Oklahoma University, Dupree suddenly disappeared. He just suddenly decided that the game he once so loved playing was not fun anymore. He did not enjoy his stay in OU anymore and he did not want to work with Coach Switzer or with the team. He simply left and went back home to his hometown Mississippi.

In the next 10 years, Dupree attempted to go back to the football field and regain his expertise on the field by playing for 3 various teams but had very little success and more injuries. This young man who had a chance to become one of the greatest football players of his time just faded away entirely. He left the football scene without realizing the full extent of his potentials.