Gene Upshaw Dies at the Age of 63

Gene Upshaw, the NFLPA Player Director, has died from complications of pancreatic cancer.

over 3 years ago cgolden 7 comments 0 recs |

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sad for him and family

But he wasn’t the best at his job. Not to be crass at a time like this, but I feel that its fair to say that the next Pres of the Players Union will likely close the gap between the NFL and MLB in terms of how strong the plaers union is

by Michael Bean on Aug 21, 2008 8:41 AM EDT reply actions

I agree but

the NFL players have come a long way under his leadership. Unlike baseball, the NFL doesn’t have any antitrust protection so a comparison isn’t completely fair. Nonetheless, your point is well made.

Any time one person has been in place for such a long time, the establishment has a way of getting bogged down and self serving.

At this time I’d just like to offer my condolences to a great football player who represented his sport and fellow players with class and dignity. RIP Mr. Upshaw

by Steev1705 on Aug 22, 2008 4:06 AM EDT reply actions

Condolences

to the family and friends of a great former rival of the Steelers.

by WolfpackSteelersFan on Aug 22, 2008 11:15 AM EDT reply actions

labor

He was a great guard … you can probably still find old footage of him & Lambert battling; and the two were probably about 50/50 when it comes to who won each individual battle.

Also one of the few hall of famers (walk-in, first ballot hall of famer nontheless) who went on to have a second, incredibly successful career within the company.

Whatever legacy he might leave behind, his work with the labor of the NFL helped assure that a town like Pittsburgh can continue to compete— in finances, publicity, staffing, and quality of players— with a city like New York. Everything he did was for the love of the game … and he made sure that players who came along after him had the types of benefits he never had … benefit, severance, and pension packages similar to what employess in any other Fortune 500 company have. He helped the youngsters of today get what he and his fellow old-timers never could’ve imagined.

And working with the evolution of NFL labor for that long, especially with an impending labor agreement negotiation in the immediate future, gives someone the working knowledge necessary to succeed that no one, no matter how educated or informed, will be able to duplicate right out of the gate.

MLB might have a stronger players’ union, but the money is too uneven within the overall landscape. That’s why teams like the Pirates tend to serve as nothing more than a minor league trainging ground for players who eventually go on to success elsewhere.

Regardless, with a new labor agreement in the works, this is something really worth paying attention to. Upshaw was a lot like Dan Rooney, despite being on the opposite side of the table, in that he knew what concessions to make, what compromises were best for the game, and when to stand firm. Whoever’s next in the succession of the union’s heirarchy has his hands full.

by Fahey on Aug 22, 2008 6:29 PM EDT reply actions

He did more for the NFLPA than widely given credit for

CHFF will tell it better than I. Don’t believe the naysayers who think that baseball has it better. Protecting the integrity of the sport keeps player salaries up, not down, and should be the primary concern of all parties in the future. Gene made sure that the quality of play, and though that the value of the league and the level of player salaries, improved year-over-year his entire run as President of the PA.

http://www.coldhardfootballfacts.com/Articles/11_2344_Upshaw%2C_reconsidered.html

Guns don't kill people. Lamar Woodley kills people.

by BostonWahoo on Aug 24, 2008 6:09 PM EDT reply actions

Wow

BostonWahoo, that was a great article. Sure, there are more wrinkles—there always are—but the thing is that when it comes to economics, some people are going to be happy and others aren’t. My view is that it always looks good when those who work hard get rewarded. Without the PA, the hard workers probably wouldn’t get their fair share. But like the article mentioned, it seemed to be the players that wanted free money that were shouting the loudest.

Brandona

by PrimantisStillersNAt on Aug 24, 2008 11:58 PM EDT up reply actions

Great article

I thought this quote epitomized Upshaw’s success as head of the NFLPA:

For example, the NFLPA collects nearly 60 percent of total revenue these days – players take in more than the owners who take all the financial risk! What workers in any other industry have that kind of deal? And it’s 60 percent of the revenue in the most successful sports league in the world. Players should be building a statue in Upshaw’s honor for working that kind of magic.

by WolfpackSteelersFan on Aug 25, 2008 11:47 AM EDT up reply actions