TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Tears, Laughter At Gene Upshaw Memorial Service

ADVERTISEMENT

The Associated Press

The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 3, 2008

WASHINGTON - A stirring mix of laughter and tears filled the concert hall of the Kennedy Center on Tuesday as family, teammates and colleagues celebrated the life of Hall of Fame lineman and longtime NFL union head Gene Upshaw.

"He was my friend. He was my brother. I will never forget him," said Art Shell, who played alongside Upshaw on the Oakland Raiders offensive line for more than a decade. "Uppy, I'll miss you."

About 1,000 people gathered for the three-hour service, which featured the strong, impressive voices of the Metropolitan Baptist Church choir and speakers who recited hilarious anecdotes and other fond memories about the man whose toughness on the football field was matched only by his determination at the negotiating table as the executive director of the NFL Players Association for 25 years.

"He didn't just tell us to eat our dinner," recalled his son, Justin Upshaw. "He told us to 'eat every stinking bite or I'll poke it down your throat.'"

Upshaw died Sept. 20 of pancreatic cancer, which had been diagnosed only days earlier. Very few people knew he was sick, and the suddenness of his departure at age 63 was a shock to the football world. Even television analyst John Madden, Upshaw's former coach with the Raiders, found himself at a loss for words.

"I'm thinking right now Gene's up in heaven," Madden said near the end of his remarks. "And he's looking down, and he has a quip on everything. ... He's probably saying, 'John, you've been up there long enough. Why don't you go sit down?'

"I just want to say, for over 40 years ..."

Madden stopped, fighting back tears. He couldn't finish the sentence.

"I'm just going to sit down, like Gene said," said Madden, who then left the stage.

Most of the guests wore a pin with the letters GU and the No. 63, Upshaw's jersey number. NFL players will wear a uniform patch with a similar design this season, and the image will also be stenciled on the fields at all 16 games this weekend.

Jets Open New Practice Facility

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. - Along with their new quarterback, the New York Jets now have a new training facility.

The team officially opened a new practice center in Florham Park on Tuesday, finalizing a move from Long Island, where they'd held practice for 40 seasons.

The team settled on Florham Park after a search that included more than 40 sites. The new facility, finished six months ahead of schedule, is not far from the Meadowlands, where the team plays.

The facility, officially the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center, includes five full-length practice fields, a nearly 11,000-square-foot weight room, 10 classrooms and 60 large-screen TVs.

BRONCOS-FALCONS TRADE: Denver traded versatile defensive back Domonique Foxworth to Atlanta for a conditional seventh-round draft choice in 2009. The could be higher, based upon Foxworth's playing time.

JAGUARS: Elevated cornerback Isaiah Gardner from the practice squad to the active roster and waived defensive end Brent Hawkin. Receiver D'Juan Woods and offensive tackle Cliff Louis were added to the practice squad and cornerback Rashod Moulton was waived.

LIONS: Signed former Cincinnati running back Rudi Johnson to a one-year deal and released running back Tatum Bell.

PACKERS: Center Scott Wells had a setback with his injured lower back after returning to practice Monday, putting his availability in doubt for the season opener against Minnesota.

RAIDERS: Released defensive tackle William Joseph to create room on the roster for receiver Ashley Lelie.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT