Gene Upshaw

1 Biography
2 References
3 Related Articles
- 3.1 Recent Gene Upshaw ArmchairGM Stories

[edit] Biography

Eugene Thurman Upshaw Jr. (born August 15, 1945 in Robstown, Texas) is a former football offensive guard who played for the Oakland Raiders in the American Football League and the NFL for sixteen years after graduating from Texas A&M University-Kingsville. He played in three Super Bowls in the 1967, 1976 and 1980 seasons; he also played in one title game in the American Football League and nine in the American Football Conference one AFL All-Star game and six NFL Pro Bowls. Upshaw is currently the only player in NFL history to play in 3 Super Bowls with the same team in 3 different decades.

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.

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. He remains the President of the Association in 2006, when he alienated many retired players. 325 former AFL and NFL players receive minimal retirement benefits. When they attempted to have the league and the Association consider their plight, Upshaw responded: "I don't work for them. They are not union members and they have no vote."