Gene Upshaw
The union leader who helped make NFL players rich
The union leader who helped make NFL players rich
Gene Upshaw
1945–2008
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
When Gene Upshaw became head of the National Football League’s Players Association in 1983, it was nearly broke and reeling from a failed strike the year before. But Upshaw, who died last week of pancreatic cancer, became an effective champion of free agency and helped boost the average salary of NFL players from $90,000 a year to $1.75 million. His approach, he once said, was actually quite simple: “I try to negotiate for what the majority of my members want.”
Before he became the first African-American to head a major sports union, said The Philadelphia Inquirer, the 6-foot-5, 255-pound Upshaw was “perhaps the greatest left guard to ever play the game.” In 1967, after playing for the Texas College of Arts and Industries, he was a first-round draft pick of the Oakland Raiders. Over 15 seasons he played in 207 consecutive regular and post-season games, six Pro Bowls, and three Super Bowls, winning two. “He became known for the rolls of tape he wrapped around his arms, from his wrists up over his elbows, which transformed his arms into clubs” and earned him the nickname “the Mummy.” Upshaw was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1987, the first year he was eligible.
Even as he excelled on the field, said the Los Angeles Times, Upshaw found himself drawn to union politics. He resented that his original Raiders no-cut contract was never renewed after the American Football League merged with the NFL, in 1969. His activism was further fueled when he heard Dallas Cowboys president Tex Schramm say to players, “You guys are cattle, and we’re the ranchers. And ranchers can always get more cattle.” Upshaw, who had grown up picking cotton in Robstown, Texas, soon became a players’ representative and, after serving as a board member of the Players Association, was unanimously elected executive director.
His advocacy was relentless, said USA Today. Exhorting his members with cries of “We are the game!” he tirelessly pushed for better salaries and benefits. In 1987, Upshaw led the players in a 15-day strike; team owners responded by bringing in replacements to play what was mockingly called “scab football.” He then guided the union “through a series of maneuvers that accomplished in court what could not be gained on the picket line.” Upshaw’s efforts culminated in 1993 with a seven-year contract that gave players the right to free agency—meaning they were free to sign with other teams—in exchange for a salary cap. In 2006, Upshaw presided over a new collective bargaining agreement that gave his 2,000 members 60 percent of league revenues, or about $4.5 billion this year.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Upshaw, who was known as “the Governor” for his leadership skills, had his detractors, said The Washington Post. His imperiousness could rankle, and this spring some players made an abortive attempt to oust him. Many retired players complained that he didn’t care sufficiently about their shoddy pensions and skyrocketing insurance costs. When one of them, retired Buffalo Bills guard Joe DeLamielleure, upbraided Upshaw once too often, Upshaw snapped, “I’d like to break his neck.” Many “accused him of being too cozy with management.” But Upshaw dismissed the criticisms. “I don’t think I’ve done too badly for my members,” he said. Upshaw is survived by his wife and three sons.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
Today's political cartoons - May 5, 2024
Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - annoying noises, gag orders, and more
By The Week US Published
-
5 highly educational cartoons about student protests
Cartoons Artists take on apolitical camping, the National Guard, and more
By The Week US Published
-
French schools and the scourge of teenage violence
Talking Point Gabriel Attal announces 'bold' intervention to tackle rise in violent incidents
By The Week UK Published
-
Benjamin Zephaniah: trailblazing writer who 'took poetry everywhere'
Why Everyone's Talking About Remembering the 'radical' wordsmith's 'wit and sense of mischief'
By The Week UK Published
-
Shane MacGowan: the unruly former punk with a literary soul
Why Everyone's Talking About The Pogues frontman died aged 65
By The Week UK Published
-
'Euphoria' star Angus Cloud dies at 25
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Legendary jazz and pop singer Tony Bennett dies at 96
Speed Read
By Devika Rao Published
-
Martin Amis: literary wunderkind who ‘blazed like a rocket’
feature Famed author, essayist and screenwriter died this week aged 73
By The Week Staff Published
-
Gordon Lightfoot, Canadian folk legend, is dead at 84
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Barry Humphries obituary: cerebral satirist who created Dame Edna Everage
feature Actor and comedian was best known as the monstrous Melbourne housewife and Sir Les Patterson
By The Week Staff Published
-
Mary Quant obituary: pioneering designer who created the 1960s look
feature One of the most influential fashion designers of the 20th century remembered as the mother of the miniskirt
By The Week Staff Published