Gene Upshaw passed away

Sheesh that was out of left field.

 

One of the best guards of alltime! 7 pro bowls and 5 times a 1st team all pro.

He played alongside art shell on the left side of the raiders o-line the best combination in league history. Over a 9 year period they made 13 pro bowls combined!

He just turned 63, too young..

 

He will be playing football in heaven for sure.

 

NFLPA director Upshaw, 63, dies of cancer

Hall of Fame football player and longtime NFL Players Association executive director Gene Upshaw has died, Clear Channel Online reported. More...

 

Pancreatic cancer is uber-nasty. RIP big fella.

No doubt he was an amazing player, but not the greatest union leader. Speculation is that Kevin Mawae might be his replacement at the NFLPA.

 

I don't quite understand this sentiment. Upshaw took NFL players from having to work off-season jobs as insurance salesmen to getting $20 million in guaranteed money, all while working with the owners to expand the NFL's share of the world's sports market. Upshaw is one of the main reasons the NFL is the number one sport in America.

Just because Matt Stover thinks he could do a better job with the NFLPA and Mike Ditka carries around a grudge in a soapbox everywhere he goes doesn't make Upshaw a bad leader. I think the man was a genius.

 

So sudden, sorry to hear about it. Things were getting ugly though in trying to get him a replacement, this may make the negotiations go more smoothly once the new person is put in place.

 

I think this covers it pretty well...

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/football/nfl/01/31/upshaw0214/

 

I wonder if all those "ghosts" would be moaning if Upshaw hadn't secured free-agency and revenue sharing for the current players... seems to me that these men chose to play a violent game in a time when pay was "part-time", and they did it fully aware of the lack of benefits. As soon as the NFL exploded, and players were making baseball money, these guys wanted in on the action. Kinda like those 'friends from the past' that show up at the newest lottery winner's door. Don't get me wrong, I feel badly for a lot of these retired players, but they had little to do with the amount players are paid today. The fact that they receive the pension that they do speaks to Upshaw's success as a leader.