A Legend Dies: Gene Upshaw age 63, lost battle to pancreatic cancer

As a kid, I used to watch #63 Gene Upshaw. Gene, played the game of football with a burning passion. He was a fierce blocker and loved the game of football. Then as an adult I watched what he used to do as the Executive Director of the NFL Players Association. And now I'm saddened to hear the reports that #63 has passed away at the age of 63, Gene Upshaw, has lost his battle to pancreatic cancer. Now here is just a taste of what Gene Upshaw was all about from several different sources. May his #63 be retired by the Oakland Raiders and may the man we knew, Gene Upshaw, rest in peace. Gene Upshaw, played from 1967 through 1981, was an 11-time All-Pro and won two Super Bowls with the Raiders. Gene Upshaw was the Oakland Raiders' first-round choice in the first combined AFL-NFL draft in 1967. The 6-5, 255-pound lineman had played center, tackle, and end while winning NAIA All-America honors at Texas A&I. The Raiders' coaching staff decided left guard would be Gene's best pro position and Upshaw won the starting job in his rookie training camp. Upshaw's size, it was felt, would help neutralize the effectiveness of Ernie Ladd and Buck Buchanan, two huge defensive tackles in Oakland's division. Gene held the guard spot for the next 15 seasons, starting in 207 straight regular season games until finally being forced out of action for one game in 1981. Upshaw returned the next week to play 10 more games in what turned out to be his final season. He was scheduled to play again in 1982, but an injury in the summer season put him on the injured reserved list for the entire campaign. Altogether Upshaw played in an incredible 307 preseason, regular season, and post-season contests. Included in his 24 post-season games were three AFL and seven AFC championship games and Super Bowls II, XI and XV. Counting the AFL championship in 1967 and victories in Super Bowls XI and XV, Upshaw became the only player ever to start on championship teams in both the AFL and NFL. Honors came frequently for Upshaw. He was named first- or second-team All-League or All-Conference 11 consecutive years, and he was named to play in seven Pro Bowls. Upshaw was an intense, intelligent, dedicated competitor who used his excellent size and speed to best advantage. Extremely effective leading wide running plays; Gene was an integral part of the powerful offensive line that spawned the Raiders' lethal running attack of the 1970s. Recognized as a team leader, Upshaw captained the Raiders' offensive unit for eight seasons. Eugene Thurman Upshaw, Jr. (August 15, 1945 - August 21, 2008) was born in Robstown, Texas) was a former American football guard, who played for the Oakland Raiders in the American Football League and the National Football League for 16 years after graduating from Texas A&I University (now Texas A&M University-Kingsville). He played in three Super Bowls; in the 1967, 1976 and 1980 seasons. He also played in three AFL Championship Games, seven American Football Conference title games, one AFL All-Star game, and six NFL Pro Bowls. He was selected by The Sporting News' to the 1969 AFL All League team. Upshaw was currently the only player in Pro Football history to play in three Super Bowls with the same team in three different decades. In 1999, he was ranked number 62 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players. He was an active member of the bargaining committee for the National Football League Players' Association (NFLPA) throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s. He led the NFLPA in its unsuccessful strike in 1987 and through years of anti-trust litigation against the league, including a brief period in which the NFLPA became a professional association rather than a union, that ended with the union's acceptance of a salary cap in return for free agency and an enhanced share of league revenues for the union's members. Until his death, he was the Executive Director of the Association. In 2006 he alienated many retired players. 325 former AFL and NFL players receive minimal retirement benefits. Upshaw was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha, the first intercollegiate fraternity established for African Americans. In 2004, the NCAA Division II sports information directors awarded the first Gene Upshaw Division II Lineman of the Year award. It is presented each year during the weekend of the NCAA Division II Football Championship by the Manheim (Pa.) Touchdown Club. On August 21, 2008, Gene Upshaw died. He had been fighting pancreatic cancer. I have enclosed a few pictures of this legend and Hall of Famer. Gene Upshaw, you will be missed .