PERU — When you come into Peru Central School, you see the faces of many former athletes who were elected to the school’s Hall of Fame.
A common name you’ll see is Duprey, with eight brothers spending time roaming the hallways from the 1950’s into the early ‘80’s.
This brotherly bond continues to grow today.
Sitting around a table at Donnie Duprey’s house, six of the Duprey brothers shared stories of their time growing up and their experiences at Peru.
“I was thinking about it last night, and you could divide it into like three groups,” Harry Duprey, Class of ‘71, said “Elmer, Jimmy and Art were the oldest. These are the guys that set the stage. And they set the bar. They set that bar high.
“After that, it was me, Joe, Donny and David. We’re, we were all close enough together. We played together. and then Ricky brought it up at the end there. And so it’s quite an age range, but, man, was it good.”
Two of the brothers weren’t there. Jimmy, Class of ‘62, currently lives in Buffalo and makes the trip back to the area a couple times a year. Art gave the ultimate sacrifice, dying from his wounds in Vietnam.
While there is an age range, one thing that isn’t different is the time it took for them all to join Peru’s Hall of Fame.
It took a total of 14 years (2010–24) for the eight of them to be honored as former athletic standouts.
“Our whole class was just, there was nothing else but athletes back then,” Elmer Duprey, Class of ‘58, said. “I mean, the girls didn’t have any official sports — because Title IX wasn’t around yet — but they had intramurals and that type of stuff.
“We all just went on and did very well.”
Full Household
Elmer is the oldest of 14 — eight boys and six girls — that grew up together under the watchful eyes of Clifford and Lena Duprey.
“We went to all the games,” Lena Duprey, in an April 5, 1992 article of the Press-Republican, said. “Some days we even had more than one to go to. But we always enjoyed the games and we did a lot of cheering.”
And they were always standing in their same spot.
“They didn’t have bleachers back then,” Donnie Duprey, Class of ‘72, said. “But, they were always there standing against the fence on the sidelines.”
Joe Duprey, Class of ‘71, said looking back, it was unbelievable.
“It was great,” he said. “We all had a great time. Everybody gets along so well.
“And we, of course, didn’t get to see Elmer, Jimmy and Art. I remember Art, but I can’t remember Jimmy and Elmer playing because, you know, we’re too young. But no, we had a great time.”
They got along as well as any brothers did growing up. But the groups that Harry mentioned, enjoyed the time they got on the field together.
“And the four of us all one year apart,” David Duprey, Class of ‘74, said. “Of course, (the older brothers) had to do a little more work than we did. We always went outside to play football and baseball.
“We, of course, you have to play tackle football. The four of us, we’re all on the same football team. I was a freshman, dressed for the games, but these guys, all three of them, started, and you watch them, you’re like ‘Geez, I want to be like that someday.’ So you work hard. You do well.”
But, what would you do when you weren’t in school or playing sports?
“We played sports,” Harry said. “Then we’d have to go home and milk the cows.”
“It was my daily morning to get up to go to school at 4-5 o’clock in the summer, when it was nice, though, the cows always went out in the pasture, and you never knew where you’re going to find them, so we always had to get them in,” Elmer added. “Dad would sometimes say, ‘Hey get the stones. They’ve got to be picked out of there, we’re going to plant corn this afternoon.’
“Now I’d go to compete in track on Sunday, after I picked rocks. Once, I won the shot put and had never done it in my life. But, the shot put guy didn’t show up, and I did it. I had already been picking up stones two hours before. That’s the way it was.”
While there was an age gap between the brothers, they all tried to see each other play competitively. It wouldn’t be until Elmer helped create the CVBL, with Ev Ezero, that the potential for all of them to play together was possible.
“We got a couple things to get together. I think we had four teams or something like that, or four or five teams to start with,” Elmer said. “But then Lyon Mountain came back from Franklin County, and a couple other teams came back in, and we ended up putting a good bunch of good League. A lot of good baseball came in then.”
Add in that it was easy to make a team for him, and the rest is history.
“It’s just that it was easy for me to put a team together, because all I had to do was find four guys,” he said. “They all had friends that were as good as they were and we didn’t have much trouble putting good teams together.”
Memories
But, looking back at their times at Peru, one can tell they have stories to share, and they were proud of their time there.
That’s because you had to earn what you got; the Duprey name didn’t carry any weight.
“You had to earn your spot,” David said. “That was not given. You didn’t earn it? You didn’t play.
“That’s all it was doing. They took the best athlete. He starts, whether you like it or not. That’s just the way it was.”
That mentality carried a reputation not just of the Dupreys, but all of Peru.
“I can sum that up when I was playing football at Plattsburgh State,” Harry said. “We got kids for every school, and eventually it all came around talking about football here in high school.
“We played against these guys, and every guy from the other schools, they all said the same thing about Peru.
“When you went to play Peru, whether you went up there, or they came to your place. You made sure your helmet was on tight and your shoulder pads were strapped on.”
They all smiled and laughed when asked about the rivalries they had growing up, especially with other schools.
“Moriah was probably the bigger one, because you went down there on a Friday night,” Donnie said. “They love their football, seriously. So that was tough.
“There was also PHS and St. John, but I’d stay with Moriah. Their fans can be a little vicious.”
But, they all sat with smiles retelling stories and tales of growing up together. Remembering coaches, teammates and teachers that helped them to be who they are today.
“Oh yeah, we had, we had a good time,” Donnie said. “There’s no getting around that.”
From baseball to football and track to basketball, the Duprey boys did it all for Peru. and the walls show it.
“They could all play football very well,” Lena said in 1992. “They could all score touchdowns. I really enjoyed watching them play.
“We were very proud of them all; we still are.”
And with an extensive family, the Duprey name will likely continue to grow on the Peru walls.
Dupreys in the Peru Hall of Fame
Elmer ‘58 – Inducted in 2013
Part of soccer team with 48 straight wins (4 consecutive league championships)
Undefeated basketball season in ‘57
Baseball Class A champion in 57, CVAL 58
Track Standout — held 220 yard dash record for many years
Post High School
CVBL — player, coach, manager, commissioner for 31 years
Jimmy ‘62 – Inducted in 2011
From 10-12th grade was captain and selected All-Star on every team he was a part of: Football, Wrestling, Basketball, Baseball, Track
Post High School
-Offered contract by Philadelphia Phillies, but chose to accept a full football scholarship to University of Buffalo
-2006 Pop Warner High School Hall of Fame member, and 2007 Western NY Baseball Hall of Fame.
Arthur ‘66 – Inducted in 2016
Football, Basketball, Baseball standout
Sectionals in ‘65 in football, baseball in 64-65.
Post High School
Joined US Marines
Died on August 16, 1968 in Quan Tri Province in Vietnam from wounds suffered from heavy mortar fire.
Harry ‘71 – Inducted in 2017
Part of the Wrestling team that posted 122 dual win streak from 1964-1973.
2 time Peru invitational wrestling champion, sectional champion in ‘71 and ‘72
Linebacker on defense and fullback on offense for CVAC championship in ‘70, PR All-Star
Post High School
Plattsburgh State football and baseball, CVBL Player
Joe ‘71 — Inducted in 2021
Football linebacker and CVAC best defensive back
Part of the wrestling team that posted 122 dual win streak from 1964-1973.
2 time individual sectional champ from ‘70-’71, 3 time team champ ‘69-’71
1985 Peru Wrestling Hall of Fame
Donnie ‘72 – Inducted in 2019
Part of the wrestling team that posted 122 dual win streak from 1964-1973.
16-0 junior year, 20-0 his senior year.
Football linebacker and Fullback. CVAC all-star team
Senior year recorded 120 tackles in 8 game schedule
Baseball ‘71-’72 sectionals. Feared catcher behind the plate. Senior Year CVAC All-Star catcher
Post High School
CVBL Player (Catcher)
3 time MVP in playoffs (‘83, ‘85, ‘89)
2024 semi-pro baseball hall of fame
David ‘74 – Inducted 2010
Basketball standout
Baseball (pitcher) Sectionals ‘72, with a no hitter in season
Football quarterback
Sophomore year scored 12 touchdowns, threw 6 more
Junior year score 8 TDs in 4 games until season-ending injury
Senior Year, league and school record – at the time – 17 TD passes, scoring 6 himself
Post High School
Played football at Albany State
CVBL Player
Ricky ‘81 – Inducted in 2024
Baseball, undefeated season for JV in ‘78, sectional champ in ‘79
Wrestling varsity, South Glen Falls Tournament champ, sectional champ ‘80 (team and individual), most team pots scored.
Football, linebacker and offensive line (fullback senior year)
Undefeated Sectional Champ ‘78 and ‘80
‘80 North Country Superbowl II Championship
Team was ranked 4th in NYS Class B football
CVAC rushing title with 628 yards in 99 carries
Selected to first team All-Star offense and defense
Voted Most Valuable Back and Most Valuable Offensive Player
Post High School
Played in the CVBL
