Upshaw to be honored at all NFL games in Week 1

Posted: Tue Sep 2 3:44 PM

New York, NY (Sports Network) - The NFL announced Tuesday that Gene Upshaw will be honored at each of the 16 games during the league's opening weekend.

Upshaw, the longtime head of the NFL players' union and Pro Football Hall of Famer, died two weeks ago at the age of 63 due to pancreatic cancer.

The league announced on Monday that all players will wear a special patch throughout the 2008 season containing Upshaw's initials and "63" -- his number during his playing days with the Oakland Raiders.

Also, the image on the patch would be painted on the field at Giants Stadium for Thursday night's game between the Washington Redskins and New York, and in McAfee Coliseum, where the Oakland Raiders will host the Denver Broncos next Monday night.

The NFL announced on Tuesday that the image of the patch will be stenciled on all 16 fields hosting games this weekend, and that a video tribute to Upshaw, the first NFL Hall of Famer who played exclusively offensive guard, will air in every stadium as well.

In addition, Upshaw's wife Terri and his three sons -- Eugene III, Daniel and Justin -- will participate in the coin toss prior to the Giants-Redskins game. The Raiders will also have a more extensive ceremony for their opener against the Broncos to honor Upshaw, who played for the club from 1967-1981.

The Raiders drafted him first overall in the first combined NFL-AFL draft in 1967, and the 6-foot-5, 255-pounder held down left guard for the next 15 years for the club. Along with fellow Hall of Famers Art Shell at tackle and Jim Otto at center, Upshaw was part of one of the most dominant offensive lines in league history.

The Robstown, Texas native played in 207 consecutive games, a streak that finally ended when he missed one game in 1981. Upshaw played in 217 regular-season games, as well as 10 AFL/AFC title games and three Super Bowls, winning two.

A seven-time Pro Bowl selection and 11-time All-Pro, Upshaw was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987.

Upshaw traded in the relative anonymity of offensive guard for the pivotal role as head of the players union after his retirement. He was an active member of the NFLPA during his playing days, and took over as executive director of the union in June, 1983.

His tenure included tough times -- most notably the players strike in 1987 -- but Upshaw also took part in the negotiations of Collective Bargaining Agreements in 1977, 1982, and 1993. The last CBA, which was extended in 1998, 2002, and 2006, was noteworthy for the addition of free agency, which the players accepted along with a salary cap, in the process ensuring a greater percentage of league revenues went to player salaries.