Ole Miss Former Athletes: Where Are They Now? Featuring Deuce McAllister

Dulymus “Deuce” McAllister grew up in the community of Ludlow, Mississippi, where he dreamed of playing professional football. But, even he could not imagine that in less than five years from leaving high school, he would be playing in front of almost 75,000 fans screaming his name in the Superdome in New Orleans.

McAllister was drawn to football at an early age because of the sense of camaraderie and the competition of the sport. His well-known nickname “Deuce” even came from his junior high school football coach because he wore the number two jersey, and his coach found his first name, Dulymus, too difficult to pronounce.

McAllister played football throughout high school in Morton, Mississippi. His senior year, Coach Tommy Tuberville recruited him to play for the Ole Miss Rebels football team.

“I had the chance to play early at Ole Miss because there was only one senior running back ahead of me,” McAllister said. “And after I saw guys who were top players like Romaro Miller and Terrence Metcalf going there, I knew it was something I wanted to be a part of.”

With four years of experience as a top player for Ole Miss, McAllister has many special memories on the field, but his favorite memory is beating Mississippi State in 2000 and bringing the Egg Bowl Trophy home.

“My favorite memory is my last home game against Mississippi State when we beat them,” McAllister said. “Ole Miss is just a special place. It’s just family there. It’s not too big and not too small. It’s been twenty years, and those guys on the team are still some of my best friends.”

In 2001, McAllister was drafted by the New Orleans Saints where he led a hugely successful career that, among many other honors, led him to a Saints Super Bowl win in 2010.

McAllister is the only football player in Ole Miss history to have three seasons with over 1,000 all-purpose yards, he is the all-time leader for the New Orleans Saints with a total of 6,096 rushing yards, and he was inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame, the Saints Hall of Fame, the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and the University of Mississippi Alumni Hall of Fame. However, in spite of all of his success, McAllister has remained truly humble.

“Somebody else will break (my records) or join me,” McAllister said. “Records are made to be broken.”

This summer, McAllister joined WWL Radio’s Saints Radio Network as the color analyst, assistant sports commentator, alongside the New Orleans beloved “Voice of the Saints” Jim Henderson.

Though football has taken McAllister on a journey around the world, he keeps a special place in his heart for Mississippi and young children. McAllister started the Catch 22 Foundation that teams with Boys & Girls Clubs and Big Brother Big Sister organizations to help encourage positive role models in children’s lives. He enjoys encouraging all children, especially young athletes.

“If you’re playing, keep fighting,” McAllister said. “I can’t promise you’ll make it to the professional league, but sports can take you a whole lot of places. I’ve seen a lot of the world because of sports. And there’s a lot of talent in Mississippi. Stay in Mississippi, and if you get drafted, come home as much as possible.”

Amy Goodin is a writer for HottyToddy.com. She can be reached at argoodin12@gmail.com.

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