Former Millwood Standout Recalled At Funeral

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Friends and family recalled Richard Allen Dean's football exploits, not the way he died, during his funeral services on Saturday.<br/> <br/>Dean, also known as Mandrell Dean, was

Friday, February 2nd 2007, 9:42 pm

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Friends and family recalled Richard Allen Dean's football exploits, not the way he died, during his funeral services on Saturday.

Dean, also known as Mandrell Dean, was considered one of the top wide receivers to emerge from the Oklahoma high school ranks during the past two decades, earning numerous honors during his playing career at Millwood High School in Oklahoma City from 1989 to 1992.

Dean, 33, died Jan. 27 after Oklahoma City police said he broke into an apartment, demanded jewelry and money and began assaulting a woman. One of the people in the apartment, a teenager, shot and killed Dean.

Police Sgt. Paco Balderrama said that from all indications, the shooting was done in self-defense.

During the 1 1/2-hour funeral service at Fairview Baptist Church, which was attended by about 1,000 people, former teammates and coaches spoke mostly of Dean's football ability and his outgoing nature. Many in the audience wore T-shirts with a picture of Dean and the caption, "In Loving Memory of Mandrell."

Ranaldo Lemons, a former volunteer assistant coach at Millwood, recalled how he had become frustrated that, in practice, Dean consistently beat the defensive backs with whom Lemons was working. Lemons issued the defensive backs an ultimatum before one practice: prevent Dean from catching any footballs, and knock Dean down if he did make a catch.

"That wasn't nothing but a challenge for Mandrell," Lemons said, noting that Dean told him that "you don't got nobody who can hold me. ... He talked a lot of smack. He was very cocky and very gifted."

State Rep. Mike Shelton, D-Oklahoma City, who was two years ahead of Dean at Millwood, recalled how in the huddle, everyone's eyes would light up when a certain play was called, because that play usually meant that "Mandrell would go to the corner of the end zone and score a touchdown."

That's something Dean did a lot. During his Millwood career, he had 102 catches for 2,567 yards, a 25.2-yards-per-catch average, and 48 touchdowns; 25 rushes for 450 yards, an 18-yards-per-carry average, and nine touchdowns; and return averages of 38 yards on kickoffs and 25 yards on punts.

All told, the 6-foot-1, 185-pound wide receiver scored 85 touchdowns, with 28 of those coming on kick returns.

"Mandrell knew how to run that ball," Shelton said.

Dean made the Oklahoma high school All-State team as a senior and became the first player to receive All-City recognition from the Daily Oklahoman four straight years. Twice, the newspaper named him its Little All-City offensive player of the year.

But after high school, Dean's promising football career stalled. He never played in college and became a journeyman on the sport's minor-league circuits, far away from the spotlight. He spent one week with an NFL team in July 2000, but the Green Bay Packers cut him during training camp.

On either side of Dean's casket were a framed picture of him in his Millwood football uniform and his Millwood letter jacket with an All-State patch on it. His blue Millwood jersey No. 82 laid on the casket.

Of those who spoke, only Lemons hinted at the violent nature of Dean's death. Lemons said that during the past week, he had heard comments about the lifestyle Dean -- who had a lengthy arrest record in Oklahoma City dating to 1990 -- had been leading before he died.

"I don't really care about what Mandrell was doing," Lemons said. "I'm going to remember the good times I had with Mandrell, because Mandrell was good to me.

"I'm going to remember that he was a son. I'm going to remember that he was a brother. I'm going to remember that he was a daddy. I'm going to remember that he was an uncle. I'm going to remember that he was a friend. But most of all, I'm going to remember that he was a strong black man."

Dean's survivors include six children, his mother, his grandmother and 12 siblings. His pallbearers included several of his Millwood teammates, including former quarterback Cornelius "Buddy" Davis, awho went on to play at the University of Oklahoma.