Peterson: Upshaw's impact on Raiders, NFL shouldn't be

0 Comments | Oakland Tribune, Aug 21, 2008 | by Gary Peterson

TO FULLY appreciate the likes of Gene Upshaw, who died Wednesday night of pancreatic cancer, you had to be there. You had to see for yourself what a difference one man could make.

We're talking football here, not labor relations.

Before he was the head of the NFL Players Association, Upshaw was a fearsome pulling guard. He was a Hall of Fame hybrid, with the speed to track you down and the strength to knock you into next week. What's more, he played before the era of mass substitution and special packages. In his day, it was your guy against their guy, all day long.

For most of his 15 seasons with the Oakland Raiders, Upshaw was better than the guy he lined up against. Thus, he was a sure thing in almost every tight spot in almost every game. In this fundamental sense, he was as responsible for the Raiders' rollicking success across the late 1960s and 1970s as any player on the roster. And more responsible than most.

They called him "The Governor," because it was obvious to anyone who got to know the man that his ambition extended beyond the football field. Sure enough, when he reached the end of his playing days, he found another arena in which to make a difference.

He became executive director of the NFLPA in 1983, representing the players through a contentious strike and hundreds of hours of tedious negotiations. In the end, he helped knock pro football into the next century. Thanks in large part to his handiwork, players enjoy free agency and earn nearly 60 percent of the league's revenues.

Upshaw had his critics, and it would be overreaching to say he single-handedly shaped the NFL as we know it today. But he is as responsible for the modern game as anyone. And more responsible than most.