Philadelphia High School

Philadelphia, MS (Neshoba County); home of the Tornadoes; located in the county seat of Neshoba County in east-central Mississippi; alma mater of Marcus Dupree (University of Oklahoma; Los Angeles Rams, Portland Thunder USFL; the most celebrated high school football recruit in the history of the state of Mississippi and one of the most legendary prep recruits in the history of American football; in 1982 he was described by recruiting analysts as perhaps the most physically gifted running back prospect ever seen, combining 6'2", 228 lbs. of size with 4.38 speed in the 40; chose Oklahoma over more than 300 scholarship offers; his career at Oklahoma was cut short by conflict with coach Barry Switzer and a serious knee injury; his story was later told in Willie Morris's acclaimed book "The Courting of Marcus Dupree" — a meditation on Mississippi, race, football, and the burden of extraordinary athletic gifts)