Head of the Players Union and Hall of Fame guard Gene Upshaw died Wednesday from pancreatic cancer at the age of 63. Upshaw was regarded by some as a stooge for ownership in his role atop the Player's Union. I don't claim to know a whole lot about that, although I do know that because of his efforts players are making more now than they ever have. More importantly he was one hell of a guard and a player that my dad made sure I knew when I was a young kid. Upshaw, a two time Superbowl champ, as a player had all of the qualities that I was taught were necessary to be a good football player. He was tough, one of the toughest ever according to my dad, he was smart, he was durable, he had quick feet and a nice strong base, and from what I understand he was a very nice man who was full of integrity. He was also a member of the Silver and Black at a time when that meant something a real Commitment to Excellence.
So for the great player and the man I say, "Rest In Peace Gene Upshaw!"
3 comments:
I second your huzzah. Upshaw excelled in the difficult position of being caught between ownership and players. No one in that position can make everyone happy all the time, yet his integrity kept the Players' Union upright through its rise into great power.
Our own Barnyard, a Law Talking Guy with an interest in football and labor issues put the smackdown on people who thought Upshaw wasn't doing enough. I don't know that I agree with all his points, but it is hard to come away from his diatribe without thinking he knows more about it than I do:
http://scuffedballs.blogspot.com/2007/09/upyours-in-defense-of-gene-upshaw.html
Poop, I tried to get fancy with it:
http://scuffedballs.blogspot.com/2007/09/upyours-in-defense-of-gene-upshaw.html
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