About Gene Upshaw

He’s a Pro Football Hall of Famer, one of the key members to the Oakland Raiders dynasty. It represents one of the NFL’s most colorful eras, but that’s just part of the story. Gene Upshaw’s influenced both on and off the field, impacted the game of football, and changed professional sports forever.

Welcome to Highway 63: The Legacy of Gene Upshaw. Hello everyone, I’m Dave Feldman.

Welcome to Schafer’s Mill Golf and Lake Club here in beautiful Truckee, California. For anyone who has followed the Oakland Raiders of a certain era, guard Gene Upshaw is a household name. Since his death in 2008, some of the biggest names in professional sports have gathered here for the Gene Upshaw Memorial Golf Classic. The event raises money for the Tahoe Forest Cancer Center.

Four years ago, the cancer treatment and care center was dedicated in Upshaw’s name and is now the Gene Upshaw Memorial Tahoe Forest Cancer Center. Upshaw was an Oakland Raider for 15 years, but his accomplishments were far greater than what he did on the football field. Let’s start with a young man who grew up in Robstown, Texas.

“I go into the Hall with all of you because you wouldn’t make the game of football great.” Gene was a very down-to-earth person. There was this perception of who he was on the field and how he was a leader, and he was this tough guy, but there was such a soft, sweet side to Gene. He was just a great guy who you never forgot his humble beginnings.

For Eugene Thurman Upshaw Jr., the journey to the Pro Football Hall of Fame began in tiny Robstown, Texas. In 1967, the American Football League’s Oakland Raiders made Upshaw their first-round draft pick. In his rookie season, the Raiders recognized Upshaw’s rare combination of speed and strength and positioned him at guard. Upshaw would become the prototype for an entire generation of pro football guards.

“I watch the play because we play them twice a year, and I was very impressed because he could run like a deer and play like a rookie. You fit right in.”

That he did. Upshaw’s impact on the field was immediate. He started as a rookie, and the Raiders made the playoffs in his first three years. Thanks in no small part to Upshaw’s efforts, the Raiders made the playoffs in 11 of his 15 seasons with the team. But it wasn’t just about his ability on the field.

He’s a great leader. He was the man. Every place needs somebody like Gene. He led by playing and vocally. Believe me, he had such a presence that you would have thought he was the assistant head coach. He ran things. He was a guy that didn’t say much, when he said something you listened. you know, stable as a quarterback, but you see, they’ll listen to him. He helped me when I became a head coach. He helped us win a Super Bowl. But he also, his guidance as a player.

And on the Raiders of the ’60s and ’70s—that was no small feat. To call the Raiders of Matheus at Hendrix, Stabler, Biletnikoff colorful? That would be a dramatic understatement.

We do have some interesting guys. They were about to say the Raiders were crazy. They were outlaws. They was, who rules day, was this, you know, because you would assume it. In the black, he would always share some of the great stories, you know, how they would going in the locker room at halftime. And guys would be smoking cigarettes, and us New Age guys at the time were like, “smoking cigarettes? at halftime?”

Anyone who could assume a leadership role in that group deserved an appropriate nickname. Upshaw became known as “The Governor.” Noah GD gave it to him. They call him the Governor because he talks so much. he was a politician and he was always talking. It was almost like he was always campaigning for something. He knew how to talk to players. He knew how to motivate players. He knew how to really get the best out of the players around him.

I could see clearly why they were calling him the Governor. Sort of didn’t understand why they didn’t call him president.

In 15 seasons in Oakland, Upshaw’s Raiders won one AFL title, 1977 and 1981, and they won the Super Bowl. Upshaw is the only player to appear in the Super Bowl in the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s. Through the ’60s, through the ’70s, and into the ’80s, the team didn’t change personalities that much because he had the same guy. So you’re playing the Raiders, Upshaw is still there. We just had a great offense. They didn’t call it Highway 63 for nothing.

Along that highway came six Pro Bowl selections for Upshaw. At the conclusion of his career, he was named to both the NFL’s All-Decade Team for the 70’s and the 75th Anniversary All-Time Team.

We talk about players having ownership. Gene really owned the Raiders. Not only did he talk to the offensive players, he talked to defensive players and could have been almost important enough for us. Upshaw retired in 1981 with an incredible distinction: he missed one game in 15 seasons. In 1987, Upshaw was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

“I can always look back and remember this moment because so many of you have had such a tremendous part in making this a successful career for Gene Upshaw. Thank you very much.”

Upshaw’s football career was just part of his life story. He would become one of the most influential figures in pro sports labor relations, the impact of which is still felt today. We’ll hear about that later in the show, but next we’ll go out to JT the Brick in this year’s Gene Upshaw Memorial Golf Classic.

Upshaw facts: 63 is a significant number for Gene. He graduated from high school in 1963, his jersey number was 63, and he was 63 when he passed away.

Tahoe Forest Health System, a UC Davis Rural Center of Excellence, offers advanced technologies in orthopedics, including a total joint program and direct anterior approach total hip replacement. Expert care with convenience and accessibility close to home in the beautiful Truckee Lake Tahoe area.

We’re able to handle just about everything from complex pelvis fractures to very simple stuff and everything in between. I think a big part of what we offer that they won’t get at big centers is truly the personalized attention.

So if I do a surgery on a patient, I see them before surgery, I see them after surgery, and then when they come to the office, they see me for every visit. That’s not true at a lot of the big centers, where they see the surgeon once or maybe twice, and if there’s an issue, sometimes it’s difficult to get back in. Here, that’s never a problem.

Highway 63: The Legacy of Gene Upshaw is presented by Tahoe Forest Health System, located in North Lake Tahoe. Find out more at TFHD.org.

Welcome back to Highway 63: The Legacy of Gene Upshaw. Celebrity golf tournaments are about raising money for charities, but they’re also a chance for pro athletes to get reacquainted and share some of their unique experiences. Nationally syndicated sports talk host JT the Brick is on the course with one former NFL player and one current one.

You know, it’s great playing with two guys like this. One was just a fantastic, legendary linebacker and had an unbelievable career. Will witherspoon, and then Alex Carter went to Stanford and is just starting his career in Detroit. He has just a great career in front of him as an athletic defensive back. To see two guys like this bonding, who really never met before, it’s a lot of fun today.

Now, I’m impressed because both you guys think about charities, but you’re a real young player in this league. What motivated you to come play here?

I think it was great to be around guys that have played like this and just soak up their kind of wisdom. I’m just talking early about all the things that he… it’s great to be around.

Gene Upshaw meant something to you, but he had an impact on your career. Tell us about that.

When I first came into the league, I was kind of in a good place at the time with the CBA and everything else. There was not a lot of contract dispute going on there, but by the time I became a free agent, that had changed. But Gene himself, just understanding his story and how much people viewed him as a player, you see that just carried through and through.

All right, make this. all right, chipping the chip and roll right, that’s what we want. Oh, oh, oh, that’s what we needed. Good by me, good by me. I’ll even pick that up for you. You said a chip and a roll. That’s it. I’ll get you talking about Gene Upshaw more and get all those up and downs.

The Gene Upshaw Golf Classic not only raises money for worthy causes but celebrates the legacy of a man who continues to influence the players in game he was so passionate about. Thank you guys. Great day today. That was a lot of fun. Pleasure playing with you. Thank you, Will. Appreciate it. Good meeting you.

This year’s tournament featured an impressive list of celebrity guests. Among them were Hall of Famers Marcus Allen, Marshall Faulk, and Fred Biletnikoff. It all got started on Sunday night at the pairings party.

Good evening and welcome to the 8th annual Gene Upshaw Memorial Golf Classic. It’s hard to believe that Gene has been gone eight years this August. Some days it feels like yesterday, and other times it feels like a lifetime ago. I still miss him.

I’m so humbled by the generosity of each and every one of you who are here tonight and for your continued support. Since the inception of this event in 2009, we have raised over a million dollars to help fund traumatic brain injury research, concussion prevention, education, and help so many cancer patients and their families in this community.

Well, you know, this is a local charity for me, so it’s nice. It’s my backyard, so I do support a lot of charities. But having the Gene Upshaw Memorial Fund right here in our backyard, it’s important to my community of Truckee. We’ve seen the work that Gene’s done with the Cancer Center down in Truckee, and I have a place in Truckee, so it’s fun to come support it.

You know, it’s an honor to come out and represent Gene. It’s always a good cause, and if you can find more information to save more lives, best support is always a good thing.

I had a very special relationship with Gene. He mentored me a lot, taught me a lot, and if I can lend my likeness to come here to help fundraise in his name, I’ll be here.

The major attraction of the pairings party was for all the participants to meet the celebrities, take pictures, and get autographs with the Hall of Famers, personalities, and Raiders favorites they’d be playing golf with the following day.

Ladies and gentlemen, we are thrilled to have the head coach of the reigning NFC champion Carolina Panthers. Let’s hear it for Ron Rivera.

Current and former professional athletes on the eve of a big event will of course let their competitive nature take over. golf games pretty good it’s looking pretty good out there. I’m excited.

I’m a very competitive golfer. everybody here knows if you want to win you got to go through me.

she probably better than most of football players. actually the baseball players are probably the better golfers so that’s the way we defend ourselves.

the competitiveness and the golfers. I mean that’s what its gonna be. that’s a bunch of us competing so I plan on winning you know.

I’m besides that Marcus Allen Marshall Faulk I want to be the best running back in golfing so.

he can have that I’m a golfer now.

Still to come on highway 63 the legacy of Gene Upshaw more on the life of Gene and we’ll go out to JT the brick for more action on the golf course.

Traumatic brain injury research through the Tahoe Institute for Rural Health Research works within the Tahoe region to educate about concussion treatment and prevention and is on the leading edge of traumatic brain injury research.

What we have found is that because we live in an area and surrounded by ski resorts we have a lot of concussions and we have cooperation from all of the emergency rooms, the coaches, the ski coaches, the football coaches, soccer coaches and they have all gotten on board with us and are assisting us to identify potential concussion candidates.

We are at Schafer’s mill Golf and Lake Club in beautiful North Lake Tahoe for this incredible event and I can tell you there’s no better place in America to have a celebrity golf tournament. The fans, the Hall of Famers, the celebrities, they’re having the time of their life, but as you’ll see they’re also very competitive.

Gentlemen, we want to welcome you out to the 8th annual Gene Upshaw Memorial Golf Classic.

Should look presentable they’re gonna put this on Comcast SportsNet. OK are you ready? ah no right but seeing it again that’s a good thing. Wow gotta go, gotta go, gotta go, gotta go, ah ruleset. what water see that’s what you should say. We’re not done this could go in. My secret weapon right here. oh wow good shot yes sir football football see hey listen here van today if you hate you stick around me, I turn you gonna do a really good golfer. Hey the secrets in the dirt, you know that?

Hey B, you don’t need as much a wrist break on that. That was terrible. Move on to the next one. Only need is one of these to go in. oh I can’t believe it and football was if you’re you know you’re not cheating you’re not trying hard enough – here we play we play it right not go first you cannot perform in front of the camera. Oh oh I still got it! show up for the camera baby.

The winners of the 8th annual Gene Upshaw Memorial Golf Classic – the team of Herm Edwards! with a score of 100.
I said hello! You play to win the game you know what it’s not about who wins charity wins and that’s why this tournament is so fabulous because of what is done over the last eight years now? eight years. over a million dollars to research that’s the beauty of this deal and this is why the people are here because of Terry of her legacy with Gene that’s what this tournament’s about. everyone’s a winner when you participate the same

We’re obviously having a good time here at this year’s tournament but there’s also a serious side proceeds from the event support the life-changing work done at the Gene Upshaw memorial Tahoe Forest Cancer Center here’s the story of Lisa Peltier and her journey to recovery through the efforts of the doctors and staff.

I was working for healthcare consulting firm in Southern California. I was in great health. Very active, played a lot of golf and again worked in the yard summertime did a lot of hiking and I had no idea that there was any anything going on to indicate that I had cancer. And I think what bothered me more than anything was thinking that I might not be around for my kids and my husband. That was that was the hardest part.

I had a lot of people telling me that I needed to go to a large metropolitan area where I could get better treatment but I wanted to be close to home. And I wanted to be able to sleep in my own bed at night and be with my family and friends and be at work when I could and try to keep my life as normal as possible so being able to be treated at the Gene Upshaw Memorial Cancer Center was the best thing I could have done.

I think it was just wonderful having a facility this close to home rather than going to Texas or wherever and having to fly back and forth and it was also very good for Lisa to be at home.

In 2012 we opened up the Gene Upshaw memorial Tahoe wars Cancer Center with major community support because we were able to deliver a sense of security to the patients here in the rural community. The experiment was to figure out could we do this? And it turned out to be very critical. Now over 50% of our patients come from outside of our catchment area. It’s grown to the point where we have five oncologists one is a radiation oncologists and four medical oncologists.

They’ve got terrific equipment and the facility itself the way it’s designed is makes you feel like you’re in a world-class facility. So they’ve got physicians and nurses who are exceptionally well trained and the delivery of care is done in a facility that I wouldn’t expect to find here in the Lake Tahoe Basin. My family has been incredible. People at work have been great. People at church have been terrific. They just came out of the woodwork and I have what they call Lisa’s army and I literally have an army behind me of people that will go on hikes with me and do lots of fundraising activities they are all just the best group of people anybody could ask for and so I’ve had a great support system.

I want to say thank you for everything you’ve done to give me my life back and I I don’t know how I can ever thank them. They’re an incredible group of people.

The Gene Upshaw memorial Tahoe Forest Cancer Center provides high quality cancer treatment in the most honest, supportive and compassionate way. Find out more at Tahoecancercenter.com.

The Gene Upshaw Memorial Tahoe Forest Cancer Center offers comprehensive care. Offers comprehensive diagnostic services and therapeutic services. In addition, we have developed a clinical trials program. Clinical trials of the cutting edge of medicine. It enables us to be able to offer patients new drugs, new therapies before they’re really released to the general public.

Gene Upshaw is the first player in the history of the National Football League who exclusively played God, ever inducted into the National Football Hall of Fame.

For most pro athletes the ultimate honor would be induction into their Sports Hall of Fame. For Gene Upshaw, the Hall of Fame was just a chapter in a legacy he would leave after his playing days. Three years prior to Upshaw’s induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame he had been serving as the executive director of the NFL Players Association. When Upshaw took over in 1983, he found an organization in a severe state of disarray.

I mean virtually you couldn’t keep the doors open of the union. he says Mike you know we got some skeletons in the closet I said well what kind of skeletons do you have? what are you talking about? He says money skeletons. We were bankrupt – we could not operate. Gene really saved the Union and he did it through personality and and leadership and convincing people to know keep working even though we can’t pay you for now.

Under Upshaw’s leadership, the NFL would experience an unprecedented era of labor peace. But first, there were battles to be fought. After two regular season games in 1987, Upshaw’s Players Union authorized a strike. The principal issue was free agency. The seeds had been planted and after six years of litigation, in 1993, NFL players had finally achieved free agency.

If the owners knew how close we were to bankruptcy at that time, we would have never gotten free agency. And now you look at the contracts that are going on-  every time these guys signed these massive contracts – they should you know look up and thank number 63.

In the end, the conversation was not about free agency, it was the quality of the entertainment product. Gene was focused on the quality of the entertainment product and the quality of the playing experience for the players.

But there was still the matter of financial stability. The Players Association was at odds with the most powerful corporation in the sports world. Under Upshaw’s leadership, National Football League players incorporated or Players Inc was established. Players earned a significant increase in the money they received for the licensing of their names and likeness. And the Union had a steady income stream.

And that really became the vehicle that helped from a financial standpoint and a leverage standpoint, help transform the Union.

Now on more equitable footing with League owners through Upshaw’s tenure, the league enjoyed relative labor peace, without a work stoppage. The man so many of his teammates considered a leader, had also become a skilled negotiator.

He was never intimidated by anybody it didn’t make any difference whether it was the billionaire owners or the commissioner.

He didn’t pound the table and threaten a lot because he’d already established that he was capable of going to the lengths that other people might threaten. he’d already done.

Gene always carries the big stick you know he when he walked in a room no matter if it was the owner of the Cowboys or Paul attackable you know you would think that he would go in and like okay ask questions no he wouldn’t telling people this is what we’re gonna do this is what y’all need to do and and it was like okay what’s y’all got to say?

He was a real student of the business side of football so he knew what was motivating the owners and he knew what was motivating the Commissioner.

He used to say a lot “it won’t be easy but we’ll get it done.” now the long version of that was it won’t be easy to get a consensus I’ll have to take things that we don’t want it we don’t like if we do it.

it’s no coincidence that labor piece coincided with a healthy working relationship between Upshaw and NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue.

it was not friendship. people say we were good friends we were we were not personal friends, we didn’t double-date we didn’t go to movies together. The reason we got things done and the reason we got our constituents to approve things was that the agreements served the best interest of both sides. it had nothing to do with our friendship. toward the end of my years as commissioner there were several donors who said you and gene can solve any problem you’re good friends and I used to say a big ass we’re not good friends, we’re good representatives of our constituents

They butted heads I’ve seen him do it but they respected each other and they managed to work out some really important issues to the league into the players and where the union started and where it ended during jeans tenure I think it speaks very strongly to the value of having a relationship with the other side.

Gene Upshaw’s love for football is obvious, exceeded only by his love of family and the beauty and serenity of Lake Tahoe. He and his wife Terry owned a home in Truckee where they felt like lifelong residents.

This is where Gene felt the most relaxed, where we spent quality time as a family and this was his home away from home.

In mid August of 2008, Upshaw began to feel ill. Ever the determined football player, he pressed on with life.

because he never was a guy that wanted people looking after him he never wanted that and he fought that a great deal he never want people making it you know if he wasn’t Gene the big bravado guy, leave me alone.

Gene my dad knew he was sick and never told anybody or he was just being a tough offensive lineman and playing hurt, which is what we did for a living. we played hurt.

he said I’m just tired I’ve been traveling I’ve got a lot going on and and then I finally just said you got to get some blood work done.

you know the week before he died he and I had a phone call and so he didn’t sound good on the call and I said hey Gene you sound you sound tired that’s you sound like crap. and he goes I am tired and he goes I’m gonna go to Tahoe for a couple of weeks and goes I promise you not anybody’s gonna be able to find me that was the last time I talked to him.

finally convinced to go to the hospital, Upshaw died three days later pancreatic cancer with Terry and his sons by his side. it was just five days after his 63rd birthday. I think he made a pact with God. I think I think he must he had a strong faith and I think he just said you know take me it’s time it’s time for me to go

in recognition of the extraordinary care Gene Upshaw received at Tahoe Forest Hospital, his family established the Gene Upshaw Memorial Fund with the Tahoe Forest Health System foundation, providing funding for important health programs and research through the Tahoe forest health system. The Cancer Center now bears his name.

He started on the football field but left a much greater legacy. The entire professional sports world will forever feel the influence of Gene Upshaw.

Since its inception in 2009, the Gene Upshaw Memorial Golf Classic has raised nearly one and a half million dollars for the Tahoe forest health system, the Gene Upshaw memorial Tahoe Forest Cancer Center, and traumatic brain injury research through the Tahoe Institute for Rural Health Research. This work couldn’t be done without the help of sponsors including Schafer’s mill golf and lake club the presenting sponsor. to become a sponsor or if you need more information go to WWE you sixty-three org. we hope to see you next year at the Gene Upshaw Memorial Golf Classic

thanks to all who participated in this year’s event and sharing genes love for golf and beautiful Lake Tahoe which he called home for over 30 years.

for JT the brick I’m Dave Feldman thanks for watching.

the ultimate respect for gene and what he meant to the National Football

Academy there’s a reason that he’s a Hall of Famer but he’s bigger than she’s a football player what he meant to the Players Association

not just I’ve been a great Hall of Fame guard in the NFL and played on Super Bowl championship teams but because he was somebody that cared and changed the game for the good

I think that he would be very pleased with how he left the NFL

I most certainly think he would like to be remembered as as a man that fought as hard as he could possibly fight for the players

he was an incredible character an incredible person

he did more for the players and the National Football League.