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jt09
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PostPosted: Oct 27, 2010 11:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

gotcha. yeah, that's pretty jacked up.
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PostPosted: Nov 09, 2010 7:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The Marcus Dupree one tonight has to be my favorite.... I am impressed with his attitude....

Side note, didn't make me feel any better about Barry Switzer.... Laughing
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PostPosted: Nov 10, 2010 4:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yep loved it. I grew up not far from philly and can remember the legend that was Marcus Dupree. I was only in 2nd grade, but I do remember everyone talking about him, and all thru high school, and good athlete was always compared to him 15 years later. It was cool to see some of the earlier footage that made him great.
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PostPosted: Nov 10, 2010 12:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

His jheri curl and huge glasses were equally awesome.
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PostPosted: Nov 10, 2010 1:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

props to the white bread for knowing how to spell "jheri curl" correctly!
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PostPosted: Nov 10, 2010 4:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

From the C-L toay

Quote:
Rewind Wednesday (Marcus Dupree Part II) Dupree gives thoughts on ESPN documentary
Posted 11/10/2010 1:02 PM CST
Welcome to Week 56 of Rewind Wednesday, where we catch up with a former standout who played high school sports in Mississippi. For the first time, we bring someone back to Rewind Wednesday. We catch back up with former Philadelphia High running back Marcus Dupree and ask him some questions about last night's 30 for 30 ESPN Documentary The Best That Never Was.

For those who missed last night's documentary, it will be shown again on Thursday, Nov. 11 at 10:30 p.m. on ESPN2.
Below this morning's interview, you will find Dupree's first visit to Rewind Wednesday back in March.





RW: What were your thoughts on the ESPN documentary?
MD: Well it told the true story. I was blown away how the producer put it all together. I see why he has eight Emmys. He did a great job. I can’t wait until we do the actual picture films. He did a great job. That’s all I can say.


RW: Is an actual movie in the works?
MD: I’m sure it’s in the works because he talked about meeting with some movie company producers on Friday.

RW: When you watched it, what was the biggest surprise for you?
MD: Just the interviews with coach Switzer and the coordinator at Oklahoma. The biggest thing was they weren’t expecting me to be that good and I was and he didn’t really know how to handle me. And then to hear him say that his biggest regret in coaching was not handling me right.

RW: What did you think when you heard him say that?
MD: Well I heard people say that he had said that before. But to actually see him say it was kinda bitter sweet because if he had told me all those things before, we may have been talking about a whole different story now.


RW: What kind of feedback have you received from people who watched?
MD: People just telling me how inspiring it was. Some kids have sent me stuff on Facebook about how they had thought about giving up and now that they have seen the film they are going to try to continue moving on with their lives. People with cancer have sent me emails saying how I inspired them to keep pushing and dreaming. I have been getting calls from all over the country. I didn’t know I could touch people like that. It’s nothing but God. That’s all I can say.


RW: One question that people seem to be interested in is your current relationship with Rev. Ken Fairley. Have you all talked?
MD: I have not talked to him. I can’t remember the last time we talked.

RW: What were your thoughts watching him on the show?
MD: It was kinda different because some of the things he was saying weren’t true. I know some people still want to make themselves look good when they are at fault. You just have to pick up the pieces and keep moving.

RW: Was that part tough to watch?
MD: No it wasn’t. It is what it is. Those things happened in the past and there’s nothing you can do about it. Hindsight is 20/20. You have to pick it up and keep moving. You just have to keep trying to get better in whatever you are trying to do.

RW: What about coach Switzer? Have you all talked?
MD: Coach Switzer and I stay in touch. In fact. when I was the GM for the arena team over in Shreveport, he came and did the coin toss for me. We have talked back and forth over the phone for the last four or five years.

RW: After watching the film, is there anything you wish you had done differently?
MD: The only thing I would have done differently is I would have gone back to Oklahoma like I should have and won maybe two Heisman Trophies and two national championships.

RW: What’s next for you?
MD: Right now, a friend and I have bought the rights to the USFL. We have a couple guys who are trying to bring a team to Jackson.

RW: How far away is that?
MD: Supposedly they want to have 12 teams in 2012. They are looking at a team in L.A. San Jose and Jackson, Mississippi. The Jackson team would be more of a regional team, covering Louisiana, parts of Alabama, and the Gulf Coast. I’m looking forward to that because it’s something that will let me get back into sports and be around the game again.

RW: There was a kid in the movie who called you Pop Pop. Was that your son or grandson?
MD: That’s my grandson (Janylon Dupree) and he’s going to be a baller. He’s 6-years old and I have pictures of him swinging at a baseball. I have never seen a kid that young have such a perfect swing.

RW: So will I be writing about him in a few years?
MD: Ain’t no doubt. During the film he told me to sign him up. He always says he is going to shake ‘em like I used to shake ‘em. He’s already talking that noise, so hopefully he’ll live up to it.

RW: There is a part in the film where you were watching your old highlights. It was obvicously very touching to you. What was it like?
MD: I have been a scout with the Redskins and in the Canadian Football League, so when I looked at those films I see why all those recruiters were coming to Philadelphia, Mississippi. When I was playing, I really didn’t pay any attention to it because I was just playing and trying to win football games. Now I look back and watch it, it was amazing. All I can say is it’s amazing.

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PostPosted: Dec 09, 2010 9:31 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Welp, Saturday should be a fun day for SMU, A&M, Texas, and TCU fans Laughing

They used Eric Dickerson's Trans A&M in the previews for Pony Excess, so they're not pulling punches.

http://30for30.espn.com/film/pony-excess.html

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PostPosted: Dec 09, 2010 10:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

here's a thread about the screening held in dallas last week:

http://www.shaggybevo.com/board/showthread.php/78066
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PostPosted: Dec 10, 2010 2:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

jt09 wrote:
30 for 30 is just about the best thing espn has ever done. major kudos to whoever greenlit this.


Bill Simmons apparently. Well, at least it was his idea. Figures it would come from the rare ESPN employee that's more diehard sports fan than camera-whoring wannabe celebrity.

http://30for30.espn.com/bill-simmons-essay.html

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PostPosted: Dec 12, 2010 5:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Didn't know I knew Dupree's agent, Bud Holmes, until after I saw the rerun last night. He has a hot daughter

Loved the irony between Cam winning the Heisman and the Pony Excess right after. As much as the death penalty was terrible for SMU, I think it was the right punishment. IF you aren't going to play by the rules, then you must face the punishment. Especially if you disregard the warning signs.

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PostPosted: Dec 12, 2010 8:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Does anybody know who the 3 schools outside of the SWC that voted against the NCAA's Death Penalty were?
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PostPosted: Dec 14, 2010 7:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I guess it is basically Outside the Lines, but I really enjoyed a number of 30 for 30 episodes. It would be cool if they did a regular (once a month, once a quarter?) show.
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PostPosted: Dec 14, 2010 8:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

wakeboarderdave1 wrote:
Does anybody know who the 3 schools outside of the SWC that voted against the NCAA's Death Penalty were?


I think it was 3 schools total including SMU... I think Texas and Huston were the other two.
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PostPosted: Dec 14, 2010 8:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I watched the Pony Excess one last night but missed the beginning. When did the payments actually start?? I'm assuming that Dickerson, James and that team were NOT getting paid.
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PostPosted: Dec 14, 2010 8:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Maybe it was because I was so excited to see "Pony Excess", but I found it fairly disappointing.
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PostPosted: Dec 14, 2010 8:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

churchy wrote:
wakeboarderdave1 wrote:
Does anybody know who the 3 schools outside of the SWC that voted against the NCAA's Death Penalty were?


I think it was 3 schools total including SMU... I think Texas and Huston were the other two.


The vote was 427-6, three of the schools were in the SWC.

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PostPosted: Dec 14, 2010 8:39 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

paus21 wrote:
I watched the Pony Excess one last night but missed the beginning. When did the payments actually start?? I'm assuming that Dickerson, James and that team were NOT getting paid.


Dickerson and James were both paid. They actually took stuff from schools that they didn't even end up going to.
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PostPosted: Dec 14, 2010 8:43 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

paus21 wrote:
I'm assuming that Dickerson, James and that team were NOT getting paid.


You'd be assuming wrong.
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PostPosted: Dec 14, 2010 8:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

PKwakeboard wrote:
paus21 wrote:
I watched the Pony Excess one last night but missed the beginning. When did the payments actually start?? I'm assuming that Dickerson, James and that team were NOT getting paid.


Dickerson and James were both paid. They actually took stuff from schools that they didn't even end up going to.


I like how ESPN spun it so James looked like he wasn't paid. F him and Dickerson.

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PostPosted: Dec 14, 2010 8:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

wakeboarderdave1 wrote:
PKwakeboard wrote:
paus21 wrote:
I watched the Pony Excess one last night but missed the beginning. When did the payments actually start?? I'm assuming that Dickerson, James and that team were NOT getting paid.


Dickerson and James were both paid. They actually took stuff from schools that they didn't even end up going to.


I like how ESPN spun it so James looked like he wasn't paid. F him and Dickerson.


That was total BS.
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PostPosted: Dec 14, 2010 8:52 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

PKwakeboard wrote:
wakeboarderdave1 wrote:
PKwakeboard wrote:
paus21 wrote:
I watched the Pony Excess one last night but missed the beginning. When did the payments actually start?? I'm assuming that Dickerson, James and that team were NOT getting paid.


Dickerson and James were both paid. They actually took stuff from schools that they didn't even end up going to.


I like how ESPN spun it so James looked like he wasn't paid. F him and Dickerson.


That was total BS.


Or the fact that Dickerson, James and everyone else involved are still cocky as hell about it. This episode reminded me of the Thug U one.

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PostPosted: Dec 14, 2010 8:59 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

wakeboarderdave1 wrote:
PKwakeboard wrote:
wakeboarderdave1 wrote:
PKwakeboard wrote:
paus21 wrote:
I watched the Pony Excess one last night but missed the beginning. When did the payments actually start?? I'm assuming that Dickerson, James and that team were NOT getting paid.


Dickerson and James were both paid. They actually took stuff from schools that they didn't even end up going to.


I like how ESPN spun it so James looked like he wasn't paid. F him and Dickerson.


That was total BS.


Or the fact that Dickerson, James and everyone else involved are still cocky as hell about it. This episode reminded me of the Thug U one.


I was surprised how open everyone was about the scandal, with the exception of a couple of the guys that were actually raising the funds to pay the players. I especially liked the line about how Dickerson "took a pay cut when he went to the NFL."

I am getting really tired of ESPN pushing their agenda all over their viewers.
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PostPosted: Dec 14, 2010 9:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

james claims he was never paid to go to smu, and circumstantial evidence supports him. his gf (now wife) was already at smu and he was going to smu no matter what. james didn't really blow up until his senior year, and he actually had concerns about whether smu was going to get in trouble because of the trans am dickerson got a week before signing day (no one knew it was a&m that had given it to him at the time). i believe that he wasn't paid to go to school there - that was blind luck on smu's part.

do i think james was well taken care of while at smu? hell yes. his gf's dad was a big smu booster and w/ all that money flying around, i have a hard time believing james didn't get plenty of $100 handshakes.

go read that thread i linked - lots of good discussion on it from people who were close to different parts of the whole thing (guy who went to hs w/ james and gave his account of the recruitment from his standpoint, among others).


dickerson absolutely was paid to go to smu. he talked like a&m was the only one who gave him anything and he just didn't want to go there because it was a redneck school, and his heart was at smu, but he got paid, no doubt about it. just watch his body language and listen to how he phrases every answer. blatantly obvious. the fact that he took their trans am and went to smu is still the funniest damn recruiting story of all time. bonus points for it being aggy that got burned, but it would still be the funniest no matter who it was.


when people question cam newton being shopped at $200,000 because they think that's an outrageous amount of money, look at the numbers being thrown around back in the early 80s. a recruit looking at $20K in cash and telling the coach he's not even close. a kid getting $50K to go to a school. a kid having his family moved from pennsylvania, given a rent free apartment, and his father a job. hell, wasn't the albert means number at $300K back in the late 90s ? (may be mis-remembering that one)
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PostPosted: Dec 14, 2010 9:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

wakeboarderdave1 wrote:
I like how ESPN spun it


PKwakeboard wrote:
I am getting really tired of ESPN pushing their agenda all over their viewers.


espn had zero involvement w/ the production of that, or any, of the 30 for 30s. they are all independently produced. the op in the thread i linked is an acquaintance and he swears it was 100% them, no espn.
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PostPosted: Dec 14, 2010 9:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

jt09 wrote:
the fact that he took their trans am and went to smu is still the funniest damn recruiting story of all time. bonus points for it being aggy that got burned, but it would still be the funniest no matter who it was.


Makes you wonder how much Marcus Dupree robbed from Texas boosters before switching to OU.

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PostPosted: Dec 14, 2010 9:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

At one point it sounded like that team was stacked because of getting paid but throughout the interviews it sounded like they weren't and they were pissed about everyone else screwing the program. I didn't know if I missed that important part in the beginning.

That is awesome about the car. "Thanks! Now I know how I'm getting to Dallas."
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PostPosted: Dec 14, 2010 1:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thought that was a really interesting one. I wish I had been able to see more of these, I'll have to download them and catch up.

I know they got punished according to the rules, but if I were SMU I'd still be pretty pissed. You're doing the SAME things every other school is and your program just got wiped out.

Here's an interesting follow up. Lots of money flying around and that's just 1 booster.
http://www.ponyfans.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=50668&start=79

I can't believe that dude sent money with UNIVERSITY stationary. Just stupid.

I go to SMU games regularly now, and the comparison to the excitement back then is crazy. That stadium hasn't grown since those videos and is normally under half occupancy. The only time I've seen it full was against top 5 ranked TCU earlier this year.

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PostPosted: Dec 14, 2010 1:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

JV wrote:
Makes you wonder how much Marcus Dupree robbed from Texas boosters before switching to OU.


lol - i don't think marcus had that kind of thought process.

here's a great article on texas cheating during that time frame:

Quote:
The Dallas Morning News


UT BOOSTERS GAVE PLAYERS CASH, GIFTS
Athletes say practice was routine; Akers `surprised'
Laura Miller Copyright 1986, The Dallas Morning News The Dallas Morning News (DAL) + _____
Published: March 26, 1986



AUSTIN -- University of Texas boosters and sports agents have given Longhorn football players cash, liquor, meals, free dental and legal services, and discounts at apartments and bars -- all violations of the National Collegiate Athletic Association extra-benefit rules.

During a two-month investigation of the Texas football program by The Dallas Morning News, former players said that boosters and agents, whom they usually met through coaches, routinely approached players with offers of cash and favors from the day they first walked onto the practice field. In interviews with 28 former Texas players, whose careers spanned the period from 1978 to 1985, 11 said they accepted cash payments -- in some cases amounting to more than $10,000 -- while they were playing football at Texas.

"My senior year it just got hotter and hotter,' said Tony Degrate, a standout defensive tackle from 1982 to 1984 and winner of the 1984 Vince Lombardi Award as the nation's outstanding college lineman.

"From alumni walking up to me in the locker room, to my room, shaking my hand and giving me a bill (money). Then at the end of the year, they'd call me -- guys in business suits with briefcases -- and I'd say meet me in a restaurant. At 11 o'clock at night. In a restaurant. Not in my room.'

Head football Coach Fred Akers, interviewed Friday in his Austin office, said he was not aware that his players had received any benefits beyond the tuition, room, board and books provided by their athletic scholarships.

"I am really, I am surprised,' Akers said. "I am surprised, and I intend to turn this over to the NCAA. . . . If I know of something that is true -- or suspect that it is -- I'll sure turn it in.'

Jeff Leiding, an All-America linebacker who played at Texas from 1980 to 1983, said he received cash payments from various alumni and boosters throughout his college career.

"It's use and get used,' said Leiding. "Once your name isn't in the newspaper -- you're nobody.'

Darryl Clark, a UT running back for four years before playing two seasons with the Arizona Wranglers of the U.S. Football League, said: "It's like a dream for a lot of players -- they never knew they could live like this.'

However, at least one alumnus -- who also is a professional sports agent representing at least two former Texas football players -- said some players actively solicit payments and favors.

"I get a call probably once a day from somebody who wants something,' said Jon Teer, a 27-year-old Texas graduate. "They want to use my credit card for my phone. I've had them call for cash. I'm not a money machine. I'm not a bank. I can't loan people money.

"When I first started helping the guys, knowing the guys, everyone wanted to jump on the bandwagon . . . and you know what the biggest excuse is? "I got my girlfriend in trouble. I need some help.' I've heard that 500 times.'

The News, in Sunday's editions, reported that 24 of 28 former players interviewed since January routinely sold their complimentary game tickets to boosters at dramatically inflated prices.

Some estimated they made $4,000 per season from the sales; others said they made that much just from the Texas-Oklahoma game, played annually in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.

"I don't know whether I got $1,000 or $10,000 -- I really don't,' said Terry Orr, a standout Longhorn running back now with the Washington Redskins. "I lived on tickets. I really did.'

Shortly after the article appeared, UT Athletic Director DeLoss Dodds said he had reported the ticket-selling allegations to the NCAA, and announced that he had retained Houston lawyer Knox Nunnally, a former UT football player, to conduct the university's own in-house investigation.

Of the 11 former Longhorn players who admitted accepting money, seven said they established long-term relationships with boosters -- whom they called their "sugar daddies' or "sweet daddies' -- and received regular installments of cash.

"My guy (booster) had two Picassos in his bathroom,' said Ed Hickey, a UT linebacker on the 1981 and 1982 teams. "I got money for being on the team, playing and tutoring his nephew.' Hickey declined to identify the booster.

Maurice McCloney, a wide receiver and a letterman on the 1980 and 1981 Longhorn teams, said he received cash from two boosters, one from Dallas, the other from Beaumont, his hometown. "They gave me real good advice, they had a lot of influence -- they were bright, wealthy and they influenced me to be sharp . . . .

"Over three years,' McCloney said, "I got about $10,000 from them.'

In addition to the former players who told The News they had accepted cash payments from boosters and agents, 17 of the 28 players said they were given meals, beer and liquor, rides back to their hometowns, discounts on apartments or freebies at Austin restaurants and nightclubs.

An Austin dentist, who in 1977 founded a black professionals' organization to befriend black UT football players, said he and some of his colleagues have provided free legal, medical and dental services to some black football players -- many of whom, he said, would have had no other way to pay for it.

"Most of the kids who have fortitude and persistence to play big-league ball come from very humble backgrounds and small towns,' said Dr. Norman Mason.

"As far as medical care, they haven't had it. . . . If he comes in here with real pain and needs a tooth pulled or something, I'll just do it and send him back to school,' Mason said. "But now a root canal, where I would have to sit down and spend some time, we get an understanding. Maybe he'll come over to my house and cut the lawn, wash the car.'

Mason said black football players also receive "special favoritism' at "Phases,' Austin's only black nightclub, which is owned by Mason's two dental partners. "My partners are obviously concerned and, sure, the players very rarely have to pay a cover . . . and a lot of times they (the owners) would give them snacks and make food available to them.'

NCAA rules, however, specifically forbid student-athletes from receiving extra benefits.

According to NCAA legislation, student-athletes who accept extra benefits -- which the NCAA has determined constitutes "pay for play' -- lose their eligibility to continue playing that sport.

"The general standard is you can provide what's available to the normal student body, and anything beyond that would violate the benefits rule,' said R. Dale Smith, assistant director for NCAA enforcement.

NCAA officials would neither confirm nor deny the existence of an inquiry into the Texas program, and they refused to speculate on possible penalties that might arise from any violations.

Penalties for NCAA rules violations can range from a mild reprimand to sanctions against an athletic program. The most severe NCAA sanctions include loss of scholarships, a team's being barred from post-season play, and the banning of student-athletes from collegiate sports.

Akers said no college coach can completely control alumni and agents.

"We don't encourage, and in fact, we don't allow our exes to take rules into their own hands,' said Akers, who replaced Darrell Royal as head coach after the 1976 season.

"I mean, if we know about it, we're going to turn them in. But unfortunately, you can't watch them all . . . 24 hours a day, and you hope they're going to do what is right.'

Players said they were sought out by alumni and boosters while at Texas -- they were admitted to closed practices, showed up in the dressing rooms after games and flooded the annual "Meet the Players' barbecue sponsored by boosters in Memorial Stadium.

"The alumni come up to you at practice or in the dressing room with their sons in tow, and I'd say, "Hello, my name is so-and-so,' ' said Scott Bagley, who played at Texas in 1982. "And he'd say, "I know.' I couldn't believe it -- they knew me. In my street clothes. And he'd say, "If there's anything I can ever do for you, let me know.' '

Jeff Leiding, who played two years with the USFL's San Antonio Gunslingers, said players normally find a "sugar daddy' in one of two ways: "The first is in recruiting, if there was alumni in your hometown, or when you start to play if you do something like I did with Arkansas -- then they're there.'

The Texas-Arkansas game in 1980 was Leiding's first -- as a member of the kickoff team. He recalled wanting "to do something to let those people know I'm alive.'

Running down the field, Leiding made a spectacular leaping tackle "that hit like an explosion,' flattening the Arkansas kick returner and separating Leiding's shoulder.

"After the Arkansas game, everyone wanted to have me over for a beer,' Leiding said.

And boosters never forgot it; from that game on, Leiding said, the cash flowed readily.

"I really don't know how much money I got -- I really don't,' Leiding said. "I got so many handshakes . . . .I remember one night after the Arkansas game my senior year, Mike Luck, Mike Ruether and I -- we spent $440 just on liquor for what we got in the locker room that game. We just drank the whole thing.'

The alumni even gave money to Leiding's girlfriend, now his wife.

"I remember Jeff was on crutches his junior year, and an alumni came up to me and gave me $50,' Kim Leiding said. "It was Jeff's birthday, and he said, "Have dinner on me.' '

Tony Degrate, who signed recently with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League, said his relationships with alumni didn't begin in earnest until his senior year, when he was named winner of the Vince Lombardi Award.

"I never pursued a sugar daddy,' said Degrate. "If I had wanted something, I could have had it. But my senior year I made up for all those years I lost.'

The 1984 football season, Degrate said, was a blur of free dinners, nights on the town, cash handshakes, free clothes and jewelry, and offers from agents that staggered the one-time high school standout from Snyder, in West Texas.

"I had one agent come in and say, "Sign this contract -- for $30,000 cash, and it also guarantees you a house and a car,' ' Degrate said. "I turned it down. Money wasn't everything to me.'

But when Degrate did take money from boosters or agents, he said, he knew it was against NCAA rules.

"I put a limit to some of it,' Degrate said. "The attention I received, I had to be careful. I always felt that same way -- that the guy offering me $1,000 could be an NCAA investigator.'

For the most part, Degrate said, he came to rely on Houston agent and longtime UT booster Tony Herry.

Although NCAA rules prohibit a student-athlete from making a written or verbal commitment with a professional agent until after his eligibility is completed, Degrate said he and Herry had an understanding during Degrate's senior season that Herry would be representing him in the 1985 NFL draft.

"The day after the 1984 (Freedom) bowl game -- I gave Tony $500 in cash,' said Herry. "I had told him I would do that.'

Herry also said he immediately arranged some loans at Austin banks for Degrate, who said he bought, among other things, a Mercedes 500SEL with the money.

But well before Degrate's eligibility had expired, Herry frequently treated Degrate and his parents to steak dinners in Austin restaurants after home games. And Degrate said there also was a traditional cash handshake between Herry and Degrate after every game. Degrate, asked if there was a $100 bill in those handshakes, replied: "I was worth more than that.'

Herry said he became a professional agent after losing money in the oil-drilling equipment business, said: "I take exception to giving Tony outright cash at each game.

"I did give him money for dinner if there was heat from Fred (Akers). Fred was always watching out to see what the kids were doing. So I would give Tony the money, and he would pay for dinner for all of us -- the Degrates and my family -- and if he had $45 or $50 left over, well then, that's OK.'

Degrate said that at one point Akers pulled him aside and told him: "Man, you are not invincible. The same people who buy you drinks are the same people who call me at 3 in the morning telling me you're out getting drunk.'

Herry and Degrate's relationship peaked in December 1984, Degrate said, when he was nominated -- and subsequently won -- the Lombardi Award.

Although NCAA rules stipulate that all travel, lodging and entertainment expenses for an award nominee and his parents must be covered by the award association -- and not by the player's university or boosters -- Degrate's four-day celebration in Houston was orchestrated and largely paid for by Herry and Texas alumni, according to Degrate and Herry.

"During Lombardi week, the alumni spent $6,000 on me,' Degrate said. "Me and my friends had a limo. We went everywhere. Bar bills were preset. There was a dinner for my friends that cost over $1,000.'

Herry acknowledged paying the expenses for Degrate's family. "That week was a real high for me because it was worth the money I spent to entertain the Degrates,' Herry said.

The Houston Breakfast Club, an informal group of Texas boosters and alumni, held a gala in Degrate's honor at the Houston Racquet Club the night before the award was presented, Herry said.

"After the dinner, we went like a beeline in a limo to Rick's Cabaret,' said Herry, referring to himself, Degrate and several of Degrate's teammates who had come to Houston for the festivities. "I stayed 30 minutes and left. But they had a little trouble because the girls at Rick's wouldn't table-dance for blacks.'

Degrate recalled going to a strip bar the next night. "There were three or four alumni there,' he said. "And they gave us a stack of 100 $1 bills to, you know, give to the girls. I'd never been to one of those places, and I never will again. It was kind of funny.'

In retrospect, Degrate said, the stardom of his senior year at Texas was fleeting. When the pro draft came around in the spring, Degrate was not drafted until the fifth round. Although he signed with the Cincinnati Bengals, he was cut. He tried the Green Bay Packers, but again failed to make the roster.

"My advice to the younger guys is, "Don't get caught up in all the hoopla.' It would be foolish to say, "Don't accept the money,' but be sure to know who you're dealing with,' said Degrate. "Just make sure you don't get it from run-of-the-mill people. Get a person you can trust . . . so if it ever came up -- even if he did it -- he wouldn't be the one to say, "Yeah, I gave him the money.'

"Someone who will keep his mouth shut if the heat comes down.'

Maurice McCloney, who transferred to Texas from Nebraska in 1979, said he was introduced to two boosters shortly after his arrival on campus. He regarded the relationship as personal, and he said he never told his teammates about them -- a pact acknowledged by several other former players interviewed by The News.

"Nobody knows who's getting what and how much,' McCloney said. "Maybe some guy gets $15 a week and somebody else gets $150 a week. So the $15 dude doesn't want him to know it. But on the other hand, the $150 guy doesn't know the other guy's getting $15.'

McCloney refused to identify the boosters who gave him money. "I don't think my guys would want me to mention their names,' he said. "That would be coldblooded . . . .You never know, I may have to call these guys in the future.'

Because boosters helped him while he was on an athletic scholarship, McCloney said, he gave apartment discounts to football players after he became a property manager in Austin upon completion of his football career. "If a regular person had to pay $400, I got it for a player for $200,' he said, "because I know, as an ex-athlete, how it is in the summertime, having no money.'

Another former Longhorn, Klint Groves, a defensive back on the 1981 and 1982 Texas teams, said booster Lloyd Davis, a former banking executive from his hometown of Lampasas, periodically gave him money.

"It was tough for me,' Groves said. "My mother could only afford to send me $20 every two weeks, which was pretty bad. So -- like some of the athletes in the same situation as me -- what alternatives do you have? Accept some money from alumni. Sell your tickets. . . .

"In my case, I had everything I wanted except the money to smuggle women,' Groves said with a little laugh. "Which I really didn't need. I was trying to play football and be a star of the bar, too. It's like, Mr. Davis would say, "Do you need some Coca-Cola money?' . . . .He's a real good man. My house in Lampasas was just three blocks from his. He just wanted me to do good.'

Davis denied any involvement with Groves.

"I know nothing about Klint Groves except that he's a local boy, and he flunked out (of UT),' Davis said. "That's all I know. I never gave him any money or bought tickets from him or anything. I'm afraid the boy's not telling you the truth.'

In 1982, the University of Texas was placed on probation for one year after the NCAA determined that Davis had paid former wide receiver Johnny "Lam' Jones, also from Lampasas, $700 for 14 complimentary tickets.

"That was just a one-time deal to help a poor kid,' Davis said in a telephone interview Monday.

The ticket scheme surfaced in a 35-count federal indictment that accused Davis of misapplying funds from People's National Bank in Lampasas to support UT athletic programs. Davis said he was assessed three years' probation and a $5,000 fine.

Texas booster Jon Teer, who also is a professional sports agent, acknowledges that he has given players money. "Yeah, I violated NCAA rules, but please don't put that (in the newspaper),' said Teer.

"You don't understand how important football is to this town. It will ruin me in Austin, it really will.'

Teer, who currently represents former UT players Mossy Cade and Fred Acorn in the pros, confirmed that he had helped former player Ray Hutchinson, a member of the 1983 and 1984 Longhorn football teams.

But Hutchinson and Teer -- both of whom are from Refugio in the Rio Grande Valley -- disagree on just how much help there was.

"I must have spent $15,000 to $20,000 I got from him my two years,' said Hutchinson. "Everything I got my sister spent. My sister and I shared a checking account, and I'd put it in and she'd spend it. She was living by herself in Refugio, had two kids . . . .She was grateful.'

But Teer said Hutchinson grossly exaggerated the amounts.

"Maybe I'd give him a little money to run down to San Marcos and see a little girl,' Teer said. "I would say four bus rides home and $10 one day he helped me move. And I gave him some rides home, too. Maybe, we're talking about $300. One day to his sister, maybe I gave her $30 to get groceries because I saw her kids when I drove Ray home once, and their bellies were swollen because they were hungry. . . . I even gave him and his sister bus money to New Mexico one time because their natural fath er died up there, and Ray thought he ought to go.

"I don't have the kind of money he's talking about,' said Teer. "If I get killed in the paper, what I did for Ray is worth it. I cared about him.'

Acorn, a former Texas defensive back and an All-Southwest Conference performer in 1983, described Teer as a booster who cares about athletes and never pressures them to sign with him.

"Believe me, I've played with all these guys,' Acorn said. "Ray (Hutchinson) is a good boy, but I believe Ray is lying. He came to Texas believing he would get $15,000.'

Another UT booster, Bobby Lackey, a business executive in Weslaco in the Rio Grande Valley, said he gave money and possibly clothes to Tommy Cox, a Longhorn offensive back in 1978 and 1979.

Lackey was a football letterman at Texas from 1957 to 1959, and in 1977 was admitted to the Longhorn Hall of Honor, the university's highest athletic award.

When Lackey was a high school football star in Weslaco, Cox's father was a football standout at neighboring LaFeria High School. More than twenty years later, Lackey found himself helping the younger Cox -- a LaFeria track and football star who was a high school freshman when his father died.

"I know I did help the boy somewhat in high school because he ended up living with a janitor down there at the school, and I knew his coach very well and his principal very well,' Lackey said.

"The boy didn't have any clothes, and he was a junior in high school. . . . and I had no intention that he could ever be good enough to play football at UT, but I was called by his principal and asked if I could give him some help.'

Lackey said he gave money to the janitor to buy food, and might have bought Cox some clothes in high school.

"As a junior, Lackey goes, "Do you have any clothes?' ' recalls Cox, who now works at United Bank in Austin. "He said, "Do you have any dress clothes for your graduation? For the prom? I said no. So he said, "Go see this person.' I remember the suit -- a blue suit. I was shocked. I said, "Why are you doing this?' And he said, "Because you deserve it.' He said, "You will, when the right time comes, you'll sign with Texas.' '

Lackey, however, said he never pressured Cox to go to Texas.

"I encouraged him to go to the University of Texas because I thought it was a good place for him, and there could be some good benefits for him later on,' Lackey said.

Cox said Lackey gave him cash whenever he needed it -- "a couple hundred dollars in my hand for spending money when he came for games.'

"I bought a couple of his tickets that he had at the time,' Lackey said. "I might have given him $10 or $20 -- maybe $30 -- I don't know. I do my own kids that way. I tell you, it wasn't a heck of a lot more than that.'

According to the former Texas players interviewed, student-athletes will continue to accept money from boosters and sell their complimentary tickets until the NCAA provides some type of allowance for scholarship athletes.

"I think the NCAA ought to get off the pot and come to 1986 and get in the real world,' said Jeff Leiding. "This isn't 1955.

"Unless the NCAA does something, 60 of the top 150 schools will be on probation.'

Photos: 1.Tony Degrate 2.Darryl Clark 3.Jeff Leiding; LOCATION: UT-Austin-Football.



Copyright 1986 The Dallas Morning News Company
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jt09
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PostPosted: Dec 16, 2010 1:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

oh, and the best thing to come out of that 30 for 30?

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PostPosted: Nov 01, 2011 5:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Did anybody else catch the episode "Unguarded" the story of Chris Herren tonight? Hell of a story.




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PostPosted: Nov 01, 2011 7:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

wakeboarderdave1, yeah i watched it, great episode.. i don't seem to remember him or any of his drug problems but it was still interesting to hear his story
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PostPosted: Nov 02, 2011 8:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I remember when I was a kid and he played for Fresno State. Quite a story indeed
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PostPosted: Nov 04, 2011 2:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I watched it the other night and then again with my wife last night. What an incredible story.
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PostPosted: Mar 11, 2012 6:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

There's a new episode on tonight about when Magic Johnson announced that he had AIDS. The episode should be showing on ESPN 2 in about 10 minutes.

Other upcoming showings (central time):
Thus 3/15 @ 7:00 PM
Sat 3/17 @ 7:30 AM
Sun 3/18 @ 12:30 AM & 3:30 PM

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PostPosted: Mar 12, 2012 11:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

wakeboarderdave1 wrote:
There's a new episode on tonight about when Magic Johnson announced that he had AIDS. The episode should be showing on ESPN 2 in about 10 minutes.

Other upcoming showings (central time):
Thus 3/15 @ 7:00 PM
Sat 3/17 @ 7:30 AM
Sun 3/18 @ 12:30 AM & 3:30 PM


It was HIV, but that development helped develop what is one of my favorite jokes. Anytime you hear of someone getting HIV/AIDS you get to ask, "Do you mean Magic Johnson AIDS or Freddy Mercury AIDS?" It is great fun.

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