NFL Players Association Executive Director Gene Upshaw Passes Away
Posted August 21st, 2008 by RetiredPlayersWASHINGTON, Aug. 21 (UPI) — Gene Upshaw, the Hall of Fame guard who became the NFL Players Association executive director, has died at 63.
Upshaw’s death, apparently due to pancreatic cancer, was announced Thursday by Jeffrey Kessler, a lawyer who has represented the NFLPA in labor negotiations, USA Today reported Thursday.
Kessler said Upshaw was not diagnosed until Sunday night “and he didn’t tell anybody.”
Upshaw is survived by his wife, Terri, and sons, Justin, Daniel, and Eugene Jr.
Upshaw played 16 seasons for the Oakland Raiders. He was a seven-time Pro Bowl selection and an five-time all-pro and played on two Super Bowl champions. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987.