Ick's Corner

Today brings bad news for the NFL.  Hall of Famer and executive director of the NFL Player Association Gene Upshaw has passed away at the age of 63 from pancreatic cancer.

He became sick this past Sunday, and his family was at his side when he passed.

Gene was on the offensive line for the Oakland Raiders between 1967 and 1981, where he ironically wore the number 63 on his jersey, and elected into the Hall of Fame in 1987.  He began his run as the executive director of the players’ union beginning in 1983 where he led the players through a strike in 1987 along with antitrust litigation against the league.

There was little indication that there was a problem as he continued working a full schedule up until recently.  No public announcement was made about the cancer, so there is no certainty of when Upshaw was diagnosed with it.  He will be missed.