Demetrius Dubose - 1971-1999 -- Lost After Football -- But Former Local Star's Demise Shocks Many

The unfulfilled promise is what gets them. Dolphus Demetrius DuBose seemed a short time ago to have so much going for him. For it all to end in a hail of police bullets seemed a stunning conclusion to those who knew him.

Once considered the best prep football player in the state while at O'Dea High School, DuBose went on to become team captain at Notre Dame and a second-round NFL draft pick who signed a contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers worth more than $1 million.

Much of that promise seemed inexplicably to drain from DuBose's life after he signed with the New York Jets in 1997. The Jets cut him four months later, he was arrested the following year at a nightclub in South Bend, Ind., and this past weekend was fatally shot by police after he was believed to have broken into a San Diego house.

One former Notre Dame teammate even heard DuBose was nearlydestitute, though few saw the 28-year-old after he left New York.

"There would be like a `Demetrius sighting' - he'd just disappear, then show up one day, for a night, then boom, he'd disappear," said guard Aaron Taylor, who now plays for the San Diego Chargers. "A buddy said, `God, the guy looked like he was sleeping in his car or something.'

"I don't know how you go from being a (second-round) pick from Notre Dame," Taylor added, "to getting shot to death for burglary."

It was a critical question with which friends and family grapple. Many members of the close-knit DuBose family were returning

from a family reunion yesterday, according to an uncle of Demetrius. Those who could be reached said they didn't feel it was an appropriate time to comment.

Others expressed shock at the end of a life they'd known as vibrant.

"I've never seen a kid with a kinder heart," said Neal White, defensive coordinator for the 1989 East-West All-State football game in which DuBose played. "I couldn't believe a kid like that getting into trouble. There wasn't a more coach-able, nicer young man. I can't imagine how he would ever get close to any wrongdoing. He was a kind, fun and spirited player."

To those like White, it seemed unfathomable that DuBose, whose latest residence was Mammoth Lakes, Calif., had a history of run-ins with the law. The last one was Saturday night.

An occupant of the house in the Mission Beach area of San Diego came home about 8:30 p.m. and found DuBose in an upstairs room, said Lt. Glenn Breitenstein, with the department's homicide unit, which is handling the investigation.

One witness told the Tampa Tribune that DuBose was discovered asleep in the room. Police could not confirm that report, but a spokesman said they found evidence of a break-in. DuBose had been living temporarily with a friend next door, police said.

The man ordered DuBose to leave and then called police to report a break-in. It hasn't been determined if a burglary took place, Breitenstein said.

After two officers arrived, the man in the home pointed out DuBose, who was on the street about 20 feet away, Breitenstein said. He was standing with two other men, one of whom was his friend. That man was questioned and released.

The officers then tried to detain DuBose, who police say appeared intoxicated, but he fled, Breitenstein said.

One officer - 6 feet, 200 pounds - attempted to stop DuBose - 6-1, 235 pounds - by grabbing him by the shoulder, but DuBose apparently flipped the officer over his shoulder, dropping him in a concrete plant box, Breitenstein said. Police also tried unsuccessfully to subdue DuBose by spraying him with Mace.

DuBose then fled and the other officer followed. After about 200 feet, DuBose stopped and "assumed a fighting stance," Breitenstein said. The officer then used a nunchaku - two foot-long plastic sticks joined by a rope - to restrain DuBose.

"It had absolutely no effect," Breitenstein said.

DuBose was able to disarm the officer of the nunchaku, a martial-arts weapon routinely carried by San Diego police. After the other officer arrived, DuBose disarmed him, too, Breitenstein said.

DuBose started to walk away, but when he charged them, both officers ordered him to drop the nunchaku, according to Breitenstein. He didn't, and they opened fire with their 9mm semi-automatic service weapons. Breitenstein said DuBose was hit in the upper body but would not say how many shots were fired.

DuBose was taken to Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla, where he was pronounced dead at 9:14 p.m. A medical-examiner's investigator said DuBose had been shot several times.

Toxicology tests on DuBose, which may reveal if he was under the influence of drugs or alcohol, could take six weeks, Breitenstein said. An autopsy was performed Sunday.

"I didn't think it would end like this," said Charger kicker John Carney, who played at Notre Dame before DuBose. "It's tragic. He had a lot going for him. I knew people reached out to him, but he was a hard guy to reach. He didn't want the help."

Former teammates and acquaintances said DuBose seemed disconnected after his NFL career ended. After playing four seasons for the Buccaneers, he signed a free-agent contract with the Jets, but was cut during training camp.

For years, DuBose was fiercely focused on his football career, according to friends and acquaintances. Eventually, however, "he was resigned to the fact that his (NFL) career was over," said Robert Fayne, his New York-based agent, who hadn't talked to his former client in about a year.

DuBose still seemed to have options. He had earned his degree in government and international relations in 3 1/2 years, according to Brian Boulace, Notre Dame assistant athletic director, and was known for his intelligence. DuBose had traveled to Europe and Asia and had varied interests, including beach volleyball, which he was attempting to pursue at a professional level.

Fellow volleyball players at Moonlight Beach in Encinitas, Calif., where DuBose worked out, said he was in great shape, that he had hired a personal trainer and had played in a couple of tournaments.

"I'm shocked," Fayne said of DuBose's shooting. "I'm just stunned this happened. The guy I worked with was a law-abiding citizen, a hard-working, dedicated, focused, honest and honorable person. It's hard to believe he was involved with anything that might have been a violation of the law."

Yet there were troubling signs. DuBose was arrested in South Bend in September 1998 for allegedly creating a disturbance at a downtown nightclub. Police said when a nightclub worker, an off-duty policeman, tried to escort DuBose from the establishment, the player allegedly jumped and grabbed a pipe from the overhead sprinkler system - flooding the club with an estimated 1,600 gallons of water. He was handcuffed and arrested after a lengthy scuffle.

DuBose was charged with battery, criminal mischief, resisting law enforcement, disorderly conduct and possession of marijuana.

Five months before the arrest in South Bend, DuBose was issued a speeding ticket in Renton. At the time, he listed his address as Seattle.

In 1993, the NCAA ordered Notre Dame to forfeit two football scholarships as a penalty for an improper loan to DuBose from a Bainbridge couple with ties to the university. DuBose was suspended for two games in 1992 and ordered to repay the money - $600 in cash and $700 in improper benefits.

And in 1991, DuBose, then 20, was charged with possession of alcohol by a minor after he and Notre Dame teammate Rick Mirer, an ex-Seahawk, were arrested at an off-campus party of 600 people at a South Bend apartment complex. The misdemeanor charge was dismissed after DuBose completed the prosecutor's pre-trial diversion program that involved community service.

Lou Holtz, DuBose's coach at Notre Dame, said he couldn't believe what had happened.

"I am shocked and saddened to hear about Demetrius' passing," said Holtz, now head coach at South Carolina. "I don't know the facts except those I've heard third-hand. The person described in these accounts is a different Demetrius DuBose than the one we all loved, appreciated and respected."

The series of mishaps was a contrast to DuBose's life before he went to Notre Dame.

DuBose was the Metro League's Most Valuable Player his junior and senior seasons at O'Dea, which he attended from 1985 to 1989. He also participated in track, played basketball and was a student-body officer.

"He was an extremely popular kid, highly thought of by students and faculty," said James Walker, an O'Dea vice-principal.

James McDonald, a former teacher at O'Dea, said: "He worked very hard. He was a very nice kid."

Washington's top-rated high-school player in 1989, DuBose chose Notre Dame over Washington and soon became a starter for the Fighting Irish. He was a team co-captain and second-team All-American his senior year. DuBose also was a nominee for the Butkus Award, which goes to the nation's top college linebacker.

A decade later, DuBose began to drift from friends, family and football - and eventually to his death.

"Demetrius and I came into the NFL at the same time (1993), and I remember a guy who worked hard and wanted to become a Pro Bowl player," said John Lynch, Pro Bowl safety and former Tampa Bay teammate. "Unfortunately, I haven't had much contact with Demetrius since he left football. I'm saddened by this tragic news, and my prayers go out to his family."

Seattle Times staff reporter Tracy Jan, The Tampa Tribune and The Associated Press contributed to this report.