REMEMBER ACTION CREATES OPPORTUNITY

ABOUT GENE UPSHAW 1945 - 2008

Gene Upshaw’s activism as a player and union leader are unmatched. The 1967 first-round draft pick built a legendary legacy, winning two Super Bowls as a standout offensive lineman for the Oakland Raiders and getting elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987.

Off the field, Upshaw served in every player union role, from alternate player rep with the Raiders to the NFLPA’s president until his retirement from football in 1983. Immediately thereafter, Upshaw was selected executive director of the NFLPA.

Upshaw recognized that the transition from football was very challenging for former players and in 1990, the Professional Athletes Foundation was founded. The PAF has since grown into the leading charitable foundation assisting former NFL players and the communities in which they serve.

There is no PAF, without Gene’s influence.

During his 25 years as Executive Director, Upshaw led the NFLPA to many “firsts,” including a 401(k) program, a player annuity plan, health reimbursement accounts for vested players, a league-wide incentive pay system known as “performance-based pay,” creation of free agency, and the “88 plan” (in honor of John Mackey) to provide monetary benefits to former players who, like Mackey, suffered from neurological disorders, among others.

Following a brief, difficult battle with pancreatic cancer, Upshaw passed away in August 2008, but his legacy lives on as a groundbreaking pioneer for the NFLPA and its members.