Gene Upshaw Eugene Thurman Upshaw , Jr . ( August 15 , 1945 – August 20 , 2008 ) , also known as " Uptown Gene " , was an American football player for the Oakland Raiders of the American Football League and later the NFL . He later served as the executive director of the National Football League Players ' Association ( NFLPA ) . In 1987 , he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame . Early life . Upshaw was born in Robstown , Texas , and graduated from Robstown High School . He played college football at Texas A & I University ( now Texas A & M University - Kingsville ) , where he was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity . Football career . After playing football in college at a number of offensive line positions , he settled at left offensive guard for the Oakland Raiders in the American Football League and the National Football League for 15 years . During that time , he played in three Super Bowl s ; in the 1967 , 1976 , and 1980 seasons , making him the first player to reach the game in three different decades ( Jerry Rice and Bill Romanowski would later accomplish the feat in 2003 ) . He also played in three AFL Championship Games , seven American Football Conference title games , one AFL All - Star game , and six NFL Pro Bowls . He was selected by " The Sporting News ' " to the 1969 AFL All League team . He was part of a particularly strong offensive line during the 1976 season , with interior linemates Dave Dalby at center and George Buehler at right guard . In the 1976 AFC championship game of the 1976 – 77 NFL playoffs , the Raiders beat the Pittsburgh Steelers , rushing for 157 yards and passing for 88 yards . The Raiders then beat the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl XI , rushing for a whopping 266 yards and passing for 180 yards , as Upshaw overwhelmed the opposing defensive tackle , Alan Page , a Hall - of - Famer . In the 1980 AFC championship game of the 1980 – 81 NFL playoffs , the Raiders beat the San Diego Chargers , rushing for 138 yards and passing for 261 yards . The Raiders then beat the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XV , rushing for a 117 yards and passing for 261 yards again , as Upshaw , Dalby , and right guard Mickey Marvin outmatched Eagle nosetackle Charlie Johnson and inside linebackers Bill Bergey and Frank LeMaster . Upshaw is the only player in Professional Football history to play in three Super Bowls with the same team in three different decades . In 1999 , he was ranked number 62 on " The Sporting News " ' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players . He was the older brother of Marvin Upshaw , who was a defensive lineman with the Cleveland Browns , Kansas City Chiefs and St . Louis Cardinals . NFLPA career . Upshaw was an active member of the bargaining committee for the National Football League Players ' Association ( NFLPA ) throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s . He led the NFLPA in its unsuccessful strike in 1987 and through years of anti - trust litigation against the league , including a brief period in which the NFLPA became a professional association rather than a union , that ended with the union ' s acceptance of a salary cap in return for free agency and an enhanced share of league revenues for the union ' s members . Until his death , he was the Executive Director of the Association . He alienated many retired players after comments he made in response to 325 former AFL and NFL players receiving minimal retirement benefits . When the former players attempted to have the league and the Association consider their plight , Upshaw responded : " The bottom line is I don ' t work for them . They don ' t hire me and they can ' t fire me . They can complain about me all day long . They can have their opinion . But the active players have the vote . " Upshaw later said he was misquoted and was speaking solely about fellow Hall of Famer Joe DeLamielleure , further saying " A guy like DeLamielleure says the things he said about me ; you think I ' m going to invite him to dinner ? No . I ' m going to break his damn neck . " While Upshaw ' s comments were true on the letter of the NFL ' s benefit rules — the NFLPA is charged with the union rights of active players , and any matters dealing with retirees are subject to negotiations between the NFLPA and the NFL Management Council — they were badly received by both former and current players , fans , and the media . Prior to his death , a campaign was allegedly being led by Ravens kicker Matt Stover to oust Gene Upshaw as head of the NFLPA ; however , all parties have denied such a plan . Stover along with a number of other players claim to have only been seeking a definite succession plan in order to avoid a drawn out and messy transfer of power such as Upshaw ' s death has seen realized . Tennessee Titans center Kevin Mawae , president of the NFLPA , had denied reports of mass callings from players for Upshaw to step down . Hall of Fame and other honors . Upshaw was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987 . In 2004 , the NCAA Division II sports information directors awarded the first Gene Upshaw Division II Lineman of the Year award . It is presented each year during the weekend of the NCAA Division II Football Championship by the Manheim ( Pennsylvania ) Touchdown Club . Death . In mid - August 2008 at his home in Lake Tahoe , Upshaw began to feel ill . His wife Terri noticed that his breathing was labored , so she convinced him to go to the emergency room , where he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer on August 17 . On August 20 , Upshaw died with Terri and his sons Eugene III , Justin , and Daniel by his side , five days after his 63rd birthday . After his sudden death , the NFL announced that for the opening weekend of the 2008 season , all 32 teams would wear a patch on the left chest of the jerseys with the initials " GU " and the number 63 , Upshaw ' s jersey number with the Oakland Raiders ; the patch was also painted onto every NFL field for Week 1 . Beginning in the second week of the season , all teams wore the patch as a decal on their backs of their helmets instead of a shoulder patch ; the Raiders continued to wear the patch on their shoulder throughout the season . Legacy . Gene ’ s wife , Terri , and sons Justin and Daniel , established the Gene Upshaw Memorial Fund in memory of Gene . In recognition of the extraordinary care he received at Tahoe Forest Hospital , The Gene Upshaw Memorial Fund has created a partnership with Tahoe Forest Health System to provide funding for important health programs and research . The mission of the Gene Upshaw Memorial Fund is to honor Gene Upshaw ’ s legacy and advance the Upshaw family ’ s passion for quality medical treatment , care for patients and their families , sustainability and advancement of medical technology , and funding for research in areas such as traumatic brain injury ( TBI ) . The Gene Upshaw Memorial Fund is currently partnered with Tahoe Forest Health System , the Gene Upshaw Memorial Tahoe Forest Cancer Center , and the Tahoe Institute for Rural Health Research ( TIRHR ) to advance its mission .