#42

 

GENE UPSHAW

In the end, Gene Upshaw will be most remembered for his leadership of the NFL Players Association. Perhaps that’s the way it should be, since he represented thousands of players as president of the union, a disorganized group that he took over in the late 1980s after the rudderless leadership of a lawyer named Ed Garvey, and turned into a powerful group that increased players’ salary and benefits dramatically. His leadership was not without criticism, though, particularly from retired players who claimed he did not do enough for them.

But long before Upshaw’s controversial career as a union leader and negotiator, he had unprecedented success on the football field as an offensive guard for the Oakland Raiders. At the time he was drafted from Texas A&I University with the 17th overall pick of the 1967 NFL Draft, Raiders owner Al Davis needed a guard who could block Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Buck Buchanan, one of the most destructive defensive lineman in the league. The Raiders had nobody who could fit that bill and Davis saw Upshaw as a big man (6-foot-5, 255 pounds) who had the speed, quickness, and blocking ability to deal with the explosive Buchanan. He was right.

“Gene was a great matchup for Buck,” said Buchanan’s Chiefs teammate, Tom Condon, who later served as Upshaw’s (and many star players’) agent. “It was very rare for a big man to get out and run like he did. The Raiders would run that weak-side lead, led by Art Shell and Gene Upshaw. And they’d continue to run because we couldn’t stop it.”

Upshaw became a dominant guard in the AFL. When that league merged with the NFL and the two leagues started playing an integrated schedule in 1970, Upshaw proved himself to be the best guard in football. He excelled as a run blocker, leading the Raiders sweep with backs Mark van Eeghen and Clarence Davis carrying the load and giving quarterbacks Daryle Lamonica and Ken Stabler adequate time to pass in the Raiders’ downfield passing game. Before Upshaw had been drafted by the Raiders, they were a good team that couldn’t quite get to the playoffs, finishing with 8–5–1 records in 1965 and ’66. But in Upshaw’s first season with the Raiders, they went 13–1 and put on a dominating performance in the AFL Championship Game against the Houston Oilers before losing Super Bowl II to Vince Lombardi’s Green Bay Packers.

Upshaw held the left guard spot in the Raider lineup for 15 seasons, starting 207 straight regular-season games (second all-time among offensive lineman only to teammate Jim Otto’s 210) until finally being forced out of action for one game in 1981. Upshaw returned the next week to play 10 more games in what turned out to be his final season. Honors came frequently for Upshaw. He was named first- or second-team All-League or All-Conference 11 consecutive years, and he was named to play in seven Pro Bowls. Upshaw was an intense, intelligent, dedicated competitor who used his excellent size and speed to his best advantage.

The Raiders were a dominant team in the Upshaw era, making the playoffs in 10 of his first 11 seasons and winning nine division titles. The team’s signature season came in 1976, when they finished with a 13–1 record, beat the New England Patriots in the divisional playoffs and then the Steelers in the AFC title game. After overcoming Pittsburgh, a team that had eliminated the Raiders from the postseason in three of their four previous playoff meetings, they were giddy at the prospect of facing the Minnesota Vikings in the Super Bowl.

The key, as Raiders head coach John Madden saw it, would be how well the Raiders’ outstanding blocking duo of Gene Upshaw and tackle Art Shell handled Vikings defensive tackle Alan Page and defensive end Jim Marshall. While Page and Marshall were two of the best defensive linemen in the NFL, the Raiders felt they had the edge in that matchup. “We knew how good Page and Marshall were, but we felt like our guys could handle that matchup pretty well,” Madden said. “Gene was one of those guys who could do everything, pass protection as well as run-blocking. Very few guys are good in the trenches and out on the perimeter. Versatility, that’s what he had throughout his career.”

Neither Page nor Marshall registered a mark on the stat-sheet that day. Between the two of them, neither man had a tackle, a sack, a pass deflection, or a forced fumble. It was complete domination by the Raiders’ offensive line and the result was a 32–13 victory that was even more one-sided than the final score would indicate. After the game, the beleaguered Page could only admit the obvious: “We got whipped,” he said glumly.

It was an explanation that many Raiders opponents would echo over the years, particularly defensive linemen who had to try to get past Upshaw. He continued to be effective when he moved from the trenches to the boardroom, taking the NFLPA from a union that had been defeated at every turn in its dealings with the league to one that was near-equal partners. It’s quite a legacy.