Heard Gene Upshaw. NFL Players Head has Died.

Heard it on local sports talk show. Cancer of the pancreas.


WOW

WOW

This came out of nowhere.

Gene Upshaw Dies at 63

The longtime NFL Players Association executive director and Hall of Fame player had been fighting pancreatic cancer.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
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By Jim Riggio Clear Channel Online
Hall of Fame football player and longtime NFL Players Association executive director Gene Upshaw has died, sources have told Clear Channel.
The former offensive lineman had been fighting pancreatic cancer.
He was 63.
Upshaw played with the Oakland and Los Angeles Raiders from 1967 until 1981. He was a seven-time Pro Bowl selection and an 11-time All-Pro.
He also played on two Super Bowl-winning sides.
He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987. Upshaw is survived by his wife, Terri, and sons, Justin, Daniel and Eugene Jr.

Confirmed?

No mention of it on M&M or ESPN SC.

Another source off net

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</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD>Published: Aug 21, 2008
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Gene Upshaw Dead: Hall of Famer, NFLPA Exec Dies From Cancer At 63
by Mike Baron

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Gene Upshaw's death has been confirmed. Gene Upshaw, the longtime [COLOR=#0000ff! important][FONT=Arial, helvetica, sans-serif][COLOR=#0000ff! important][FONT=Arial, helvetica, sans-serif]NFLPA[/FONT][/FONT][/COLOR][/COLOR] executive director and a Hall of Fame NFL football player, <TABLE cellSpacing=2 cellPadding=5 width=58 align=left border=0><TBODY><TR><TD> </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>has died of complications from Pancreatic Cancer.
Upshaw, a former 11-time All-Pro offensive lineman, had been fighting the disease and has now succumbed to it, according to recent reports.
Gene Upshaw, 63, was the longest-tenured labor leader in [COLOR=#0000ff! important][FONT=Arial, helvetica, sans-serif][COLOR=#0000ff! important][FONT=Arial, helvetica, sans-serif]sports[/FONT][/FONT][/COLOR][/COLOR]. He played with the Oakland and [COLOR=#0000ff! important][FONT=Arial, helvetica, sans-serif][COLOR=#0000ff! important][FONT=Arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Los [/FONT][COLOR=#0000ff! important][FONT=Arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Angeles[/FONT][/COLOR][/FONT][/COLOR][/COLOR] Raiders from 1967 until 1981. He was a seven-time Pro Bowl selection and an 11-time All-Pro.
<CENTER><TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=1 width="100%"><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top align=left><IFRAME marginWidth=0 marginHeight=0 src="http://www.postchronicle.com/ads/336x280.html" frameBorder=0 width=336 scrolling=no height=280></IFRAME></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></CENTER>Upshaw was also fortunate to play on two Super Bowl-winning squads and was elected to the Pro [COLOR=#0000ff! important][FONT=Arial, helvetica, sans-serif][COLOR=#0000ff! important][FONT=Arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Football[/FONT][/FONT][/COLOR][/COLOR] Hall of Fame in 1987, his first year of eligibility.
Gene Upshaw is the only player in NFL history to play in three Super Bowls in three different decades – in the 60's, 70's and 80's.
He has been Executive Director of the National Football League Players Association since June 1983. Clark Gaines was named by Upshaw as his predecessor earlier in the year.
Upshaw is survived by his wife, Terri, and sons, Justin, Daniel and Eugene Jr.

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silver7 said:

No mention of it on M&M or ESPN SC.

Click to expand...

I'm thinking this is true, but main networks are probably waiting to make %100 sure. But multiple spots on the net are popping up.

Breaking News

Gene Upshaw dead at 63

NFLPA executive director and Pro Football Hall of Famer Gene Upshaw has died. Upshaw, who was 63, had been fighting pancreatic cancer.

RIP

great loss for raider nation, sad day indeed. rip gene.

RIP Gene.

It should be interesting how the players union will be without him since many players wanted him gone.

wonder if any of the old time players who have felt left behind when it came to pensions and health insurance will shed a tear ..

i think probably not ..

a lot of them held upshaw mostly responsible for not making any changes.

having said that , its a shame to die that young no matter who you are.

Ironman_8 said:

RIP Gene.

It should be interesting how the players union will be without him since many players wanted him gone.

Click to expand...

My thoughts, SI did a piece on him last year which really made him into some sort of villain who betrayed his people

Upshaw died Wednesday night at his home in Lake Tahoe, Calif., of pancreatic cancer, which was diagnosed only last Sunday, the NFL Players Association said Thursday. His wife Terri and sons Eugene Jr., Justin and Daniel were by his side.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/20....obit.upshaw.ap/index.html?eref=si_topstories

Regardless of how the older players felt about him I'm sure they will mourn his loss. He played with a lot of those older guys and I'm sure none of them are happy that he died.

My condolences go out to his family and friends. Gene Upshaw was actually a very ineffective union leader. I have no idea how he kept his job so long. He should have been thrown out of office a long time ago but that's the fault of the players. It's widely known that the NFL Players Association is one of the weakest unions you'll find.

Gene Upshaw did very little for the older, retired players that built the league. The owners loved him because he was their lap dog and slept on their doorstep.