Oklahoma's Top 20 recruiting what-ifs, No. 3: Moe Dampeer

The saga of Lawrence “Moe” Dampeer lasted just two seasons at Oklahoma. But for Dampeer, the struggle continues today. Dampeer arrived at OU in the 2003

John E. Hoover | Feb 1, 2021

The saga of Lawrence “Moe” Dampeer lasted just two seasons at Oklahoma.

But for Dampeer, the struggle continues today.

Moe Dampeer's bio in the 2003 OU media guide

Dampeer arrived at OU in the 2003 recruiting class out of MacArthur High School in Decatur, IL, as ESPN’s No. 1 defensive tackle in the nation, a fun-loving, kind-hearted, broad-smiling kid who would carry Tommie Harris’ torch as he wrecked Big 12 offenses on his way to the NFL.

But after redshirting that first season, Dampeer struggled to contribute consistently. As a redshirt freshman in 2004, he made just 10 tackles — and yet, five of those were tackles for loss — and he also had a fumble and an interception, three QB hurries and two passes defensed.

Moe Dampeer could flat-out play — when he could play, that is.

“Moe Dampeer is the real deal,” Bob Stoops said on signing day 2003. “We’re excited to finish off a great recruiting class with one of the best defensive tackles in the country. He brings more strength, quickness and speed to our defensive line. … He also has the personality and attitude that fit perfectly with our team and our defense.”

Dampeer was a SuperPrep All-American, a CNNSI.com All-American and a two-time Illinois All-Stater. As a junior, he had 89 tackles, 10 quarterback sacks and 12 tackles for loss as a junior, and despite missing time with a sprained ankle during his senior year, he still had 68 tackles, 9.0 sacks and 13 tackles for loss in just seven games.

Dampeer reportedly ran a 4.8-second time in the 40-yard dash, and was a stellar basketball player too, averaging 14.7 points and 9.3 rebounds during his senior year, according to his local newspaper.

Moe Dampeer in high school / Decatur Herald & Review

He chose OU over Illinois, as well as offers from Miami, Tennessee, Florida, Florida State, Michigan, Michigan State, UCLA, Oregon, USC, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Iowa, Boston College, Virginia, Georgia Tech, North Carolina and Missouri. Illinois State and Eastern Illinois offered him in basketball.

But at Oklahoma, Dampeer’s offseason plans never quite meshed with those of strength and fitness guru Jerry Schmidt, and he couldn’t keep his weight down enough to stay on the field.

“I love him as a young man,” Stoops said in 2004, “and I believe he’s got a great future if he’s willing to do the things necessary when you’re a college athlete.”

He told the Decatur Herald & Review in 2004 that the toughest things about college football were the academics, growing up and being responsible, and having the mentality to want to practice and work out every day.

When Dampeer left in spring of 2005, Stoops cited Dampeer not “doing the things we feel are necessary to play … that’s going to class, workouts, all of those things.”

Dampeer returned home to Illinois. He enrolled at Joliet Junior College and played juco ball, then spent three years out of football before resurfacing at Division II Northwest Missouri State.

“This is his last chance,” then-Bearcats coach Mel Tjeerdsma said. “It’s not something w’’re going to do. It’s something he is going to do if he is going to make it.”

Dampeer eventually had a brief career in professional football — the indoor variety, including a stint with the Bricktown Brawlers in Oklahoma City, as well as semipro in Springfield, IL.

Dampeer has been called the most gifted athlete ever to come out of Decatur, but at one point at Northwest Missouri, he tipped the scales at close to 450 pounds and his health began to decline. Dampeer has battled kidney disease in recent years.

Moe Dampeer coaching his youth league team in 2018 / Decatur Herald & Review

Dampeer’s football career didn’t take him where he thought it would, but he’s has recently coached a youth league football team (“I think I found my passion because this means more to me than anything,” he told the Decatur Herald & Review in 2018), and that’s not all.

This spring, Dampeer will be inducted into the Decatur Public Schools Athletic Hall of Fame.

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This series

National Signing Day is around the corner, so SI Sooners is examining Oklahoma’s biggest recruiting what-ifs of the last 20 years.

This is about players who arrived (or almost arrived) at Oklahoma but then, for whatever reason, left well before they reached their potential.

This is what college football recruiting is all about: the risk-reward that comes with not knowing a prospect's potential. For every Adrian Peterson, there's a Rhett Bomar. For every Tommie Harris, there's a Moe Dampeer.

The time period is since 2000, when online recruiting services and the current "star" system became prominent.

The rankings were compiled by SI Sooners publisher John Hoover, Sports Animal host Al Eschbach, KREF host James Hale and Sooner Spectator publisher Jay Upchurch.

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How Hoover voted:

I ranked Moe Dampeer No. 6 on my top 20. Nobody wanted Big Moe to succeed more than Bob Stoops did. But Stoops put up with a lot due to Dampeer's sheer talent and game-changing ability. Dampeer missed workouts, he missed class and he even missed the 2004 summer while back home in Illinois. Finally, Stoops laid down a standard for Dampeer, and Dampeer decided to pursue other interests.

No. 3 on my list was Brent Rawls, the 2001 quarterback who was a high school All-American but never played for the Sooners. You can read about Rawls at the link on the list below.

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Top 20 Oklahoma Recruiting What-Ifs

(since 2000)

Published Feb 1, 2021

JOHN E. HOOVER

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.