Best NFL Players of All Time: Gene Upshaw. Ranking the Top Players in History. Place a bet on an NFL football game now.

Best NFL Players of All Time: Gene Upshaw

Ultimately, Gene Upshaw’s leadership of the NFL Players Association will be his most enduring legacy. That may be the case given that he served as president of the union for thousands of players. The union was a disorganized organization that he took over in the late 1980s from a lawyer named Ed Garvey, who led it with reckless abandon. Under his direction, the union grew into a strong organization that significantly raised player salaries and benefits. However, there was criticism of his leadership, especially from retired players who felt he did not do enough for them.

However, Upshaw enjoyed unparalleled success as an offensive guard for the Oakland Raiders long before his contentious career as a union leader and negotiator. When Raiders owner Al Davis selected him with the 17th overall pick in the 1967 NFL Draft out of Texas A&I University, he needed a guard who could stop one of the league’s most lethal defensive tackles, Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Buck Buchanan. Nobody fit that category for the Raiders, and Davis thought Upshaw was a large man (6-foot-5, 255 pounds) with the agility, speed, and blocking skills to handle the explosive Buchanan. He was accurate.

Gene was a fantastic fit for Buck, according to Tom Condon, a former colleague of Buchanan’s in the Chiefs who later represented Upshaw and numerous other elite athletes. A large man running away like he did was quite uncommon. With Art Shell and Gene Upshaw leading the way, the Raiders would run that weak-side lead. And since we were powerless to stop them, they would keep running.

In the AFL, Upshaw rose to prominence as a guard. As the leagues united and began to play a combined schedule in 1970, Upshaw established himself as the finest guard in football. In the Raiders’ down-field passing game, he was an excellent run blocker, helping the team sweep the opposition with backs Mark van Eeghen and Clarence Davis taking the load and providing quarterbacks Daryle Lamonica and Ken Stabler enough time to pass. Prior to Upshaw being selected by the Raiders, the club was competitive but fell short of the postseason, with 8-5-1 records in 1965 and 1966. However, the Raiders finished 13-1 in Upshaw’s rookie season and defeated the Houston Oilers in the AFL Championship Game before succumbing to Vince Lombardi’s Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl II.

With 15 seasons as the Raiders’ left guard, Upshaw started 207 straight regular-season games (tied for second all-time among offensive linemen with teammate Jim Otto’s 210) until eventually having to miss one game in 1981 due to injury. In what turned out to be his final season, Upshaw returned the following week to play ten more games. Upshaw received honors on a regular basis. He was selected to play in seven Pro Bowls and was chosen first- or second-team All-League or All-Conference eleven years in a row. Upshaw was a fierce, perceptive, and committed competitor who made the most of his exceptional stature and speed.

During Upshaw’s tenure, the Raiders dominated the NFL, earning nine division crowns and qualifying for the playoffs in ten of his first eleven seasons. 1976 was the team’s most memorable season as they completed with a 13-1 record, defeating the Steelers in the AFC title game and the New England Patriots in the divisional playoffs. They were thrilled about the chance to play the Minnesota Vikings in the Super Bowl after defeating Pittsburgh, a team that had won three of the Raiders’ four prior playoff encounters and had already eliminated them from the postseason.

According to Raiders head coach John Madden, the key was how well the Raiders’ excellent blocking tandem of Gene Upshaw and tackle Art Shell handled defensive end Jim Marshall and defensive tackle Alan Page of the Vikings. Despite the fact that Page and Marshall were two of the NFL’s top defensive lineman, the Raiders believed they had the advantage in that game. Madden stated, “We felt like our guys could handle that matchup pretty well, but we knew how good Page and Marshall were.” “Gene was one of those guys who was capable of run-blocking and pass protection.” Few men excel in the trenches and on the outer edges. What he possessed throughout his career was versatility.

On the stat sheet that day, neither Page nor Marshall made a mark. Neither man had a forced fumble, tackle, sack, or pass defection between them. The Raiders offensive line dominated everything, and the end consequence was a 32–13 victory that was considerably more lopsided than the score suggests. Following the match, the struggling Page could only concede the obvious: “We got whipped,” he said.

Over the years, many Raiders opponents, especially defensive lineman who had to try to get by Upshaw, would reiterate this statement. He was still effective as he transitioned from the trenches to the boardroom, transforming the NFLPA into nearly equal partners after it had been consistently trounced in its interactions with the league. Such a legacy exists.

Best NFL Players of All Time: Gene Upshaw Stats

Regular Season

Year	Age	Tm	Pos	No.	G	GS	Fmb	FR	Yds	TD	Sk	Sfty	AV
1967	22	OAK	LG	63	14	14	0	1	3	0	0		6
1968	23	OAK	LG	63	14	14					0		13
1969	24	OAK	LG	63	14	14	0	1	0	0	0		11
1970	25	OAK	LG	63	14	14	0	1	0	0	0		12
1971	26	OAK	LG	63	14	14					0		8
1972	27	OAK	LG	63	14	14					0		11
1973	28	OAK	LG	63	14	14					0		10
1974	29	OAK	LG	63	14	14					0		14
1975	30	OAK	LG	63	14	14					0		12
1976	31	OAK	LG	63	14	14					0		13
1977	32	OAK	LG	63	14	14					0		16
1978	33	OAK	LG	63	16	16					0		7
1979	34	OAK	LG	63	16	16	0	1	0	0	0		7
1980	35	OAK	LG	63	16	16	0	1	0	0	0		7
1981	36	OAK	LG	63	15	5					0		2
Career					217	207	0	5	3	0	0		149

Playoffs

Year	Age	Tm	Pos	G	GS	Int	Yds	TD	Lng	PD	FF	Fmb	FR	Yds	TD	Sk
1967	22	OAK	LG	2	2			0			0	0	0	0	0	0
1968	23	OAK	LG	2	2			0			0	0	0	0	0	0
1969	24	OAK	LG	2	2			0			0	0	0	0	0	0
1970	25	OAK	LG	2	2			0			0	0	0	0	0	0
1972	27	OAK	LG	1	1			0			0	0	0	0	0	0
1973	28	OAK	LG	2	2			0			0	0	0	0	0	0
1974	29	OAK	LG	2	2			0			0	0	0	0	0	0
1975	30	OAK	LG	2	2			0			0	0	0	0	0	0
1976	31	OAK	LG	3	3			0			0	0	0	0	0	0
1977	32	OAK	LG	2	2			0			0	0	1	0	0	0
1980	35	OAK	LG	4	4			0			0	0	0	0	0	0
Career				24	24			0			0	0	1	0	0	0

 

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