Gene Upshaw
| Gene Upshaw | |
|---|---|
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Position (s): Guard |
Jersey number (s): 63 |
| born August 15, 1945 in Robstown , Texas | |
| died on August 20, 2008 in Lake Tahoe , California | |
| Career information | |
| Active : 1967 - 1981 | |
| AFL Draft : 1967 / Round: 1 / Pick: 17 | |
| College : Texas A&I University | |
| Teams | |
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| Career statistics | |
| Games | 217 |
| Play as a starter | 207 |
| Fumbles secured | 5 |
| Stats at pro-football-reference.com | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Pro Football Hall of Fame | |
Eugene "Gene" Thurman Upshaw Jr. (* 15. August 1945 in Robstown , Texas , USA ; † 20th August 2008 in Lake Tahoe , California ) was an American football player and - functionary . He played as a guard in the American Football League (AFL) and in the National Football League (NFL) with the Oakland Raiders .
youth
Gene Upshaw was born in Robstown to Cora and Eugene Upshaw Sr. His father worked for an oil company and his mother was a homeworker. Gene was the eldest of three brothers. His brother Marvin Upshaw was like himself a professional football player and played for the Kansas City Chiefs , among others . Next to school, he and his two brothers had to pick cotton . Both Marvin and Gene played baseball as kids . In 1958 they reached the "Little League World Series" with their Little League team . Gene's father was himself a baseball player on a minor league team , but it was important for the children to graduate from college before they decided to play professional baseball. Unlike his brother Marvin, who was an excellent football player in high school , Gene didn't play football for a year until just before he graduated from high school.
Player career
College career
Upshaw wanted to study at Texas A&I University because the college was near his hometown. Since he was not offered a scholarship , he decided to do a trial training with the local college football team . Upshaw was able to convince with his athletic abilities and received the scholarship. He played as center and tackle from 1964 to 1966 in the offense of the football team. Upshaw was elected to the conference selection and All-American during his studies . In 1967 he played under Otto Graham in the "Senior Bowl" and in other selection games. His convincing style of play made the scouts of the professional leagues aware of him. After starting his professional career, Gene Upshaw graduated with a business degree in 1968, followed by further studies at California State University and Golden Gate University Law School in 1969 and 1982 .
Professional career
Gene Upshaw was drafted 19th in the first round by the Oakland Raiders in 1967 . The trainer of the Raiders, John Rauch , already used him as a rookie as a starter in the position of a guard. In this position he had to ensure the protection of quarterback Daryle Lamonica . In 1967 the Raiders could win 13 of 14 games in the American Football League . With this result they moved into the AFL final against the Houston Oilers . The Oilers lost 40: 7 and the Raiders qualified for the "AFL-NFL Championship Game" , which was later renamed Super Bowl II . Opponents in the Super Bowl were the Green Bay Packers trained by Vince Lombardi , who were able to prevail against the Raiders with 33:14. In 1968 the Raiders moved into the AFL final again, but were subject to the New York Jets trained by Weeb Ewbank with 27:23. In 1969, John Madden took over as coach of the Raiders. The team from Oakland remained a top team and moved into the AFL final for the third time in a row. Opponents were the Kansas City Chiefs supervised by Hank Stram , who got the upper hand with 17: 7. Also in 1970, 1973, 1974 and 1975 Upshaw and the Raiders were denied entry into the Super Bowl. In the first AFC Championship Game they were defeated by the Baltimore Colts 27:17 in 1970 , the Miami Dolphins 27:10 in 1973 , the Pittsburgh Steelers 24:13 in 1974 and again in 1975 16:10.
Daryle Lamonica retired in the NFL in 1974. Ken Stabler , who had been under contract with the California team since 1970, ousted him from the position of starting quarterback in 1973. Upshaw shared responsibility for protecting Stabler. The series of defeats in the final ended for him in 1976. The team had lost only one of 14 games in the regular season and moved with this result in the play-offs . Opponents in the divisional play-off game were the New England Patriots , who could be defeated with 24:21. In the AFC Championship Game, the team met again on the Chuck Noll supervised Steelers. Gene Upshaw's team took revenge for the two previous defeats in the final and won 24: 7. Opponents in Super Bowl XI were the Minnesota Vikings , who had to admit defeat to the team from Oakland with 32:14 . Stabler also remained error-free in the play-offs due to the performance of his offensive line for Upshaw and threw four touchdown passes . In 1977 the Raiders could not defend their Super Bowl title. They faced the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship Game and left the field with a 20:17 defeat.
After the 1978 NFL season, Tom Flores took over as coach with the Raiders. Stabler, in turn, left the team in 1979 and was replaced by Jim Plunkett . With them, Eugene Upshaw celebrated his second Super Bowl victory in the 1980 NFL season. The team had won eleven of 16 games and thus moved into the wildcard game of the American Football Conference (AFC) against the Houston Oilers. The game ended 27-7 for the Raiders, who were also able to win the subsequent Divisional Play-Off game against the Cleveland Browns 14:12. In the AFC Championship Game, the Raiders met the San Diego Chargers and were able to hold their own in the game with 34:27. Dick Vermeil and his Philadelphia Eagles were the opponents of the Raiders in Super Bowl XV . The Raiders won the game 27:10. Upshaw's offensive line was also of particular importance in this final round. Plunkett threw eight touchdown passes, three of them in the Super Bowl, in three of his own interceptions .
Gene Upshaw retired after the game round in 1981.
Functionary career
In 1983 Upshaw became chairman of the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA). The players were tied to the club for a very long time after the draft due to the regulations issued by the NFL. Since the NFL refused to respond to the request to relax this provision, the members of the NFLPA went on strike in 1987 . Ultimately, it was unsuccessful because the team owners hired scabs and not all players joined the strike. Game operations continued in the NFL. In 1993, however, the NFL team owners could not prevent the introduction of the Free Agency . In return, the players' union accepted the introduction of the salary cap . Each team was only allowed to spend a predetermined amount on player salaries. In 2008 this was 116 million US dollars . In 1994, Upshaw formed a collecting society to prevent the names and pictures of the players from being advertised without giving them financial stake in the success of the product. For example, video game producers have to pay royalties when they use the players' names and pictures. This company generated 40 million US dollars in 2000 alone. Upshaw remained the chairman of the NFLPA until his death.
family
Gene Upshaw was married twice and had three children. From 1970 to 1978 he ran his own business consultancy firm. Eugene Upshaw died of a pancreatic tumor . His grave is unknown.
Honors
Upshaw played seven times in the Pro Bowl or AFL-Star Game , the final game of the best players of the season. He has been elected All-Pro or AFL All-Star eleven times . He is a member of the NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team , the NFL 1970s All-Decade Team , the Pro Football Hall of Fame , the Texas Sports Hall of Fame, and the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame. In 1973, 1974 and 1977 he was voted "Lineman of the Year" by the AFC, and in 1977 he was elected for the entire NFL. In his honor, all players wore his initials and shirt number on their shirts in the first game of the 2008 season. These were also applied to the playing fields. After that match day, all players wore his initials on their helmets for the rest of the season.
Web links
- Short biography
- biography
- Obituary in the New York Times
- Gene Upshaw at College ( September 17, 2011 memento on the Internet Archive )
- Gene Upshaw in the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame
- Upshaw in the Texas Sports Hall of Fame
Individual evidence
- ↑ Annual statistics of the Raiders 1967
- ^ Statistics AFL final 1967
- ↑ Statistics Super Bowl II
- ^ Annual statistics of the Raiders 1968
- ^ Statistics AFL final 1968
- ↑ Annual statistics of the Raiders 1969
- ↑ Statistics AFL final 1969
- ^ Annual statistics of the Raiders 1970
- ↑ Statistics AFC Championship Game 1970
- ^ Annual statistics of the Raiders 1973
- ↑ Statistics AFC Championship Game 1973
- ↑ Annual statistics of the Raiders 1974
- ↑ Statistics AFC Championship Game 1974
- ↑ Annual statistics of the Raiders 1975
- ↑ Statistics AFC Championship Game 1975
- ↑ Annual statistics of the Raiders 1976
- ↑ Statistics AFC Divisional Play-Off Game Raiders vs. Patriots 1976
- ↑ Statistics AFC Championship Game 1976
- ↑ Statistics Super Bowl XI
- ↑ Annual statistics of the Raiders 1977
- ↑ Statistics AFC Championship Game 1977
- ↑ Annual statistics of the Raiders 1980
- ↑ Statistics AFC Wildcard Game Oilers vs. Raider 1980
- ↑ Statistics AFC Divisional Play-Off Game Raiders vs. Browns 1980
- ↑ Statistics AFC Championship Game 1980
- ↑ Super Bowl XV statistics
- ↑ Gene Upshaw's grave
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Upshaw, Gene |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Upshaw, Eugene Thurman Junior |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American football player and official |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 15, 1945 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Robstown , Texas |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 20, 2008 |
| Place of death | Lake Tahoe , California |