By Patrick Garbin—Twitter @PatrickGarbin
JOE DUPREE: For most Georgia enthusiasts, the name may sound faintly familiar, if familiar at all, and for good reason, considering the most highly-touted quarterback in the state when he was coming out of high school, and one of the greatest prep players hailing from the Macon area, appeared in only five games as a Bulldog, starting just once. Yet, it was Dupree’s one start, and his outing which resulted in the start, which puts him in rare company in Georgia football lore.
Coming off the bench at Auburn in 1990, Dupree rushed for 119 yards on 18 carries. Since his former head coach Ray Goff did so twice for the Bulldogs in 1976, Dupree’s 100-yard outing remains one of only two times to date—that’s 40 seasons—that a Georgia quarterback has rushed for 100+ yards in a single game (the other, Quincy Cater vs. Kentucky in 1998). Dupree’s performance earned him the starting nod for the Bulldogs’ final game of the season—against the eventual national champion, Georgia Tech.
Since Georgia implemented a traditional drop-back quarterback offense in the mid-1940s, there have been 53 different Bulldogs to start at least one game under center. Dupree, who transferred to Georgia Southern, not only remains the only one of the 53 to later play at a different school but, ironically, he played for that other school against Georgia.
Since Dupree’s UGA-GSU playing days, he has worked in a variety of professions (including as a county sheriff), currently serving as head football coach at the high school he once starred for on the gridiron. I recently caught up with him while he was on the road, preparing for his Southwest Patriots’ looming 2017 season:
PG: Joe, while at Southwest High in Macon, besides Georgia, what other schools were you interested in attending?
JD: There was Auburn, Ohio State, South Carolina and UTEP.
PG: Texas-El Paso—really? Why UTEP? And, why did you ultimately choose Georgia?
JD: UTEP was really the first school to talk to me. So, I thought I kind of owed it to them to visit the school, and I took my first visit there. I still stay in contact with the UTEP coach that recruited me, Andy McCollum, who was recently at Georgia Tech. He is a great guy, and it looked like I’d have an opportunity to play at UTEP pretty quick. But, as far as Georgia, I had always wanted to be a Georgia Bulldog. Growing up and watching them, and being a Georgia boy, I just always wanted to play for them.
PG: So, as a true freshman at Georgia in 1990, you were way down the depth chart at first, and there was even talk of redshirting you, correct? But, next thing you know, you’re the No. 2 quarterback, and you first appear in game seven against Vanderbilt as what was called “a change of pace” from starter Greg Talley. Do you remember your long touchdown pass against Vandy?
JD: Correct, they were going to redshirt me, but the offense wasn’t going as planned with Greg [Talley] and Preston [Jones] (the starter-turned-No. 2-turned No. 3) at quarterback. I first got to go in against Vanderbilt behind Greg. The touchdown came on a play-action pass. I faked it to Garrison [Hearst], and threw a long post to Andre [Hastings]. (With Georgia leading by only five points with approximately seven minutes left in the game, the 68-yard Dupree-to-Hastings touchdown pass essentially clinched a 39-28 Bulldogs victory over the Commodores.)
PG: Only about three-and-a-half minutes prior to your touchdown pass, you rushed for a score against Vanderbilt, as well. What was that like—going from assuredly redshirting at one point, to being responsible for multiple touchdowns not long afterwards?
JD: It was exciting for me—just to get an opportunity to play. Playing for a big-time program like the University of Georgia, and having a chance to compete by getting into a game... It was an exciting time for both me, and my family, and I just tried to take advantage of the opportunity.
PG: A few weeks later, you got to show off your running skills at Auburn. What stands out about what would be the only 100-yard rushing performance by a Georgia quarterback in a span of over 20 years?
JD: Auburn was having a pretty good year (6-2-1 record and ranked No. 24), and we were struggling (4-5 record), but the Georgia-Auburn rivalry is one of the biggest rivalries. I just remember Jordan-Hare [Stadium] was going absolutely crazy. We ran a lot of option plays that game, the guys did a great job of blocking, giving me a chance to run. I was able to show off my skills some, and I just tried to run the ball the best I could. Although we lost [33-10], it was a pretty exciting time for me because of the atmosphere and I got a chance to play a lot.
PG: Your performance coming off the bench at Auburn earned you the starting job against No. 2-ranked and undefeated Georgia Tech, which featured one of the best defenses in the country. What was your thought process going into what might have seemed like an insurmountable task?
JD: Man, I was nervous as heck. To be making my first start, and against—you’re right—a team which was ranked close to No. 1. Also, in high school, when I signed with Georgia, my buddy [receiver Charlie Simmons] signed with Tech, so there was that. Still, the guys around me were really supportive. I might have been scared to death, but through preparation and watching film leading up to the game, I felt like I was ready to go. (At the beginning, the entire Georgia team was seemingly ready to go, jumping out to a 9-0 second-quarter lead. Early in the third quarter, the Dupree-led offense was still within striking distance of the Jackets before the true freshman signal-caller, who finished 4-of-8 passing for 71 yards, was knocked out of the game late in the quarter with an injury. Tech eventually won, 40-23.)
PG: So, Joe, I’ll just touch on what was reported by the media at the time, and then maybe you can comment: Entering the spring of 1991, you were Georgia’s No. 1 quarterback; however, after the emergence of true freshman Eric Zeier and new offensive coordinator Wayne McDuffie, and the implementation of a new pass-oriented offense, you fell to No. 3 by the conclusion of spring drills, followed by No. 4 entering fall camp.
JD: Yes, I went into the spring the No. 1 but, from there, it was downhill. I was then the No. 3 quarterback, and once you’re the No. 3 or No. 4, you’re not getting many reps. They decided to redshirt me, and that’s when I thought I needed a change of scenery. At that point, it just wasn’t a good fit with a new offense and new offensive coordinator and all. We all (Dupree and Georgia coaches) talked about it, and we decided I should maybe look elsewhere. And, from there, I eventually wound up at Georgia Southern.
PG: Still, let me add, amid rumors you would be moved to another position during the summer, it was said you thought about transferring but head coach Ray Goff talked you out of it during a meeting with you and your parents. Goff emphasized that you still figured prominently in Georgia's quarterback plans. But, he would ultimately decide to redshirt you. Just 11 days after that decision, you left Georgia presumably to go to a school where you could play. When Goff was asked if he had spoken to you, and if he would release you, allowing you to transfer, the head coach said he hadn’t spoken to you, and added, "I'll release him (Dupree), but he's got to ask me first."
JD: Things were said about what went on, and said about Coach Goff, but I’ll just say he didn’t have to give me an opportunity with a scholarship to play football at the University of Georgia. And, because of that opportunity, I’m always going to be a Georgia Bulldog. Every summer, a guy from my incoming class, [former linebacker] Travis Jones, puts on a football camp, which I help out at. A couple of years ago, Coach Goff showed up at the camp. Coach Goff and I talked—what happened at that time, what didn’t happen. He apologized to me, and it meant a lot to me, but he didn’t have to do that (apologize). I know this is kind of private, but I want to put that out there because it speaks volumes of the type of man Coach Goff is. I want to let him know that I appreciate him.
PG: I’m assuming you specifically transferred to Georgia Southern because its run-oriented offense fit your playing style?
JD: Honestly, I decided to give up football when I left Georgia, and only went to Georgia Southern to be a student. Besides my family, I really hadn’t told many other people that. But, when I got down there on campus, the head coach, Tim Stowers, and the athletic director [Dr. David Wagner] called me in for a meeting and offered me a scholarship. Turns out, one of my good friends, who was on the team, had told them I was on campus. Well, my mother couldn’t pay for school, and I really didn’t want to have all those student loans, so I accepted the scholarship.
PG: You had to sit out the 1991 season but, while splitting time at quarterback in 1992, ironically, Georgia Southern faced Georgia in Athens for the first time. I remember how somewhat of a big deal was made of Joe Dupree returning to Athens to play his original team. Was it a big deal for you?
JD: What was a big deal for me was I got to see the guys I had signed with: Mitch Davis, Travis Jones, Mo Harrell, Shannon Mitchell, Bill Montgomery, Garrison [Hearst], Andre [Hastings], and others. I got a chance to spend a little time with them. We hadn’t seen one another in about two years so, to go back and see them, it was a great time—great experience. I had really missed those guys.
PG: As GSU’s starter in 1993, you led the team to 10 wins and its first postseason appearance in three years; however, as a senior in ’94, I saw that you only played in a few games. What happened?
JD: I hurt my MCL in the third game of the season. Four weeks later, I came back from the injury, but the coaches had decided to go in another direction with a younger guy (freshman quarterback Kenny Robinson). And, that was the end of my playing career.
PG: What about your coaching career? Did you immediately get into coaching after graduating?
JD: Actually, I first sold insurance, and I later became the sheriff of Bibb County. But then, I eventually got into coaching. This season will be my 16th year [coaching], including six as a head coach. I was the head coach at Henry County for one year before returning to Southwest, where this will be my fifth season.
PG: And, at Southwest, you took an 0-10 program just four years ago to a pretty good season last year, right?
JD: Yes, we had a pretty decent year last season. We were co-region champs, a 6-5 record, and the program reached the playoffs for the first time since 2010 (and first winning record since 2008).
PG: Growing up in Macon, did you ever imagine that you would be coaching, especially at where you went to high school?
JD: No, I never, ever would have imagined it in a million years. But it’s been a tremendous blessing, especially to be back home, able to give something back to my community and letting those guys (his players) know that you can succeed. You just got to work hard, continue to believe in yourself, and do the things you have to do to take care of your business.
PG: Joe, tell me about your family.
JD: My wife’s name is Chendra. We have two children together, five total: three girls, two boys. So, we’re pretty busy (laughing).
PG: One last thing, and I don’t mean to put you in any kind of awkward position, but I noticed your email address includes a “17”—your jersey number at Georgia. But your number at Georgia Southern was “4.” Is there anything to that?
JD: Let me say, I use “4” in other things, and Georgia Southern is my school—that’s my alma mater, where I graduated from, and I love GSU. But I love UGA just as much. Like I said, I had always wanted to be a Georgia Bulldog, and I’m going to be a Bulldog for life. I went there first—so, that’s my school too. I’m going to support it, and represent it until I leave this earth. I really try keep up with the Georgia program and, I’ll say, I really think Coach Smart is going to do a great job there.
