Joe Dupree, Southwest head coach
Today’s interviewee is Southwest coach Joe Dupree, whose team defeated 24-point favorite Bleckley County 30-29 last week after scoring on a 68-yard pass and two-point conversion in the final three minutes. Dupree is a former Georgia and Georgia Southern quarterback. He is in his 12th season as head coach at his alma mater in Macon.
1. What were the play calls for the winning touchdown and conversion? “We were down 29-22, and it was third down, and the slant pass had been working all night, and Steve Robinson our quarterback was doing a good job of reading and throwing, so we decided to go with a double move [route] on the guy, and Jamaria Watkins caught it and went about 60 yards. We decided to go for two because, being on the road, we wanted to go for the win, and we want our kids to know we have confidence in them. We were able to connect on that. It was a quarterback sweep with a read option that we always work on. If the defensive guy comes up, you can always throw it to the back of the end zone. We blocked well and everybody did their job, and Robinson was able to throw to Watkins.”
2. Your son, Chase, passed for more than 2,500 yards last season and also was the region’s basketball player of the year. What is his status, and what advice do you give him about his future in both sports? “He has a broken hand. Or not quite a broken hand, but a bruise on the knuckle of his right index finger. [He has not played this season.] We didn’t have experience at quarterback. Steve had started at wide receiver the past two years and knew how fast the pace of the game can be and understands the offense, so he’s done a good job. For Joe, I just tell him you’ve got to love whichever sport you choose because it’s a job at the next level. If you don’t love it, don’t do it. Being the head football coach, I think he’s a better football player, but he can do both at a high level. I tell him to leave his options open for either. Whichever one you love the most, go with it.” [Joe Dupree also was a two-sport standout and played on Southwest’s 1989 Class 4A championship team under GACA Hall of Fame coach Don Richardson.]
3. As a former Georgia and Georgia Southern quarterback, what questions do people like to ask you about your days as a college player? “When I started against Georgia Tech in 1990 or when I went in against Vanderbilt as a freshman. We weren’t doing very well on offense, and I went in and threw a 64-yard touchdown pass to Andre Hastings, then ran one in. [Georgia won 39-28.] That was the highlight of my freshman year at Georgia. Then at Southern, going down to Miami and playing Ray Lewis and Warren Sapp and seeing them years later turn out to be Hall of Famers. That was a huge deal. I get asked about those things from just everybody that meets me, especially about playing at Georgia with Garrison Hearst, Mitch Davis, Shannon Mitchell and Travis Jones. We still keep in contact.” [Dupree’s TD pass to Hastings covered 68 yards, same as the TD pass that won the Bleckley County game. Dupree also is remembered for his 119-yard rushing performance against Auburn in 1990. That earned him the start against Georgia Tech the next week.]
4. How did you become a football coach? “Right out of college I sold insurance, and I was the operations manager for a trucking company. Dexter Copeland in 2000 gave me an opportunity to start coaching at Twiggs County. It was the best thing I could do in life, but I didn’t know it. I knew I wanted to be in sports, and now I have a passion for coaching. Being at Southwest is huge because coming from the same neighborhood or walking the same halls they walk, I can offer them something to look forward to. I was able to earn two scholarships at two different schools and give them inspiration and show them they can move beyond their situation.”
