Tom Keating practiced against Gene Upshaw for several years when both were playing for the Raiders, and he remembers that fondly.

“Gene never struck a blow in anger,” Tom told me when we were talking in the immediate aftermath of Upshaw’s death on Aug. 20 at azge 63. “He never took a cheap shot or tried to hurt me. Believe me, I appreciated that.” Upshaw was able to protect his quarterback against the best defensive lineman – he was drafted to block Kansas City’s Buck Buchanan, among others – but he was also a finesse player. Early on, he was sometimes criticized because he didn’t knock defenders down when he was leading the sweep, but he always got the first defender out of the way and, staying on his feet, was often able to block a second man. Gene and I joined the Raiders the same year, 1967, he as the No. 1 draft pick, me as the beat writer for the San Francisco Chronicle, so we had a long history.

Most of it was amiable but there was one exception. In a 1971 game with Kansas City, the Chiefs harassed Raider quarterback Daryle Lamonica, and my story was critical about the pass protection, especially by Upshaw and tackle Art Shell. After the next practice, Upshaw and Shell marched me to a bench on the sideline and sat me down between them. Upshaw told me I didn’t know the blocking schemes, which was correct – they didn’t pass them out in the press box – and that he and Shell were often not responsible for what had happened.

I told him, “I can understand Art being upset because I’ve written very little about him and I’m sure it hurts to have the first important mention of him be a critical one. But I’ve written a ton of favorable articles about you.”

“This one article cancels out all the others,” Upshaw declared. The Athletes Creed.
That incident was a big departure from the norm. Almost all the time, Upshaw enjoyed a very good relationship with all the writers. He was articulate and cooperative, and a large group of writers could always be found around his locker. Shell, at the next locker, was very shy and seldom even said hello.

Upshaw’s accommodating manner served him well later when he became executive director of the Players Association and worked out an agreement with NFL executives and owners for a salary cap.

“Bob Moore and I were talking about this,” said Keating, “and we agreed that Gene basically didn’t want to hurt anybody’s feeling. We’d be talking about Al [Davis] and he’d say, ‘That’s just Al. He’s never going to change.’”
He was certainly right there.

Upshaw was often criticized by players with short memories, who didn’t seem to understand how difficult it was to negotiate the path to a salary cap. I do, because I remember how bitter the strife was between owners and the Players Association before Upshaw. So does Keating.

“I’ve spent a lot of time defending Gene,” he said. “But tell me, what business do you know where your pension gets upgraded every time there’s a new contract?”
In the 31 years I knew Gene Upshaw, I saw him as a star player, a successful leader and a gentleman throughout. He’ll be missed