Contrary to what some of his detractors, many of whom have no idea what they're talking about, have said, Upshaw was a damn good union chief. Michael Wilbon said it best in his most recent column that Upshaw knew exactly how leverage the players had (and did not have) with the owners and used that knowledge to get everything for his people that was feasible. Let me run down the list and enlighten those who may have forgotten:
Free Agency: NFL Players had no real free agency until 1993. That's right, 1993, after every other major sports league except maybe the NHL (I don't know when they got theirs). There was no free agency of any kind until 1989 when Plan B free agency was instituted, and even that allowed every team to protect 37 of its 50 to 60 players from being able to leave, even if they weren't under contract. Those of us out in the workforce have no idea what it's like to be unable to leave your job for a better one because our current employer owns our rights. Imagine having your eye on a better job, at a company that wants to hire you, and being unable to go because your current employer doesn't want you to leave. Even though you don't have any biding contract. That's what NFL players faced until 1993, and it was under Upshaw's leadership that they were finally able to break that.
Higher Salaries: In the early 80s football players were making as little $90,000 a year, which is more than most of us make now but considering that our careers don't end when we're 35 they were a lot worse off than us. Players in other sports leagues and other forms of entertainment had already broken into the million dollar salary range, yet the guys who were playing the most dangerous sport of all were way behind the curve. Again, imagine making $90,000 a year (more like $65,000 after taxes) for maybe five years, and then having to retire when you turn 35 and possibly living another 50 to 60 years after that. Those million dollar contracts don't sound so huge now, do they? The salary increases are largely a byproduct of the free agency that Upshaw's leadership brought on. With the tremendous financial growth of the NFL over the past 20 years, someone had to make sure that the players got their fair share. This all happened under Upshaw's leadership.
Players getting to start sooner: You might be thinking 'huh?' right now, but hear me out. There was a time when teams drafted guys and stashed them on the bench with fake injuries for several years at a time. My Redskins were known keeping guys as reserves with phony back injuries and what not for three or four years before letting them into the starting lineup; and needless to say, reserves get paid reserve money. Nowadays, because they cost more to pay and because of free agency, the teams have to play guys almost from day one. At one time a rookie had to be outstanding player to be an opening day starter, now most first day draft picks get to play immediately and most of them get to start, even the guys who have some on the job training to do. This means more achievement early, and more money early. No more sitting for three years while getting low pay, then continuing to get paid low money because you're a first time starter who hasn't proven himself, then maybe a few years of top level money if you turn into an All Pro.
Now those are just the big picture things. I'm sure that the guys who worked alongside Gene in the trenches of the labor negotiations have a million small things they could tell us about that he was able to get for his guys. And please, forget all that crap about them not having fully guaranteed contracts. That is never going to happen, and it wouldn't make sense, anyway. You cannot give 50-plus guys fully guaranteed multiyear contracts in a sport where it is almost guaranteed that they'll miss time with injuries and when you never know for sure when their bodies will start to break down for good. Some guys start slipping physically as early as 27 years old, and you can't be on the hook to 70 or 80 guys all at once, 30 of whom aren't even playing for you anymore. That's just stupid. Gene made the most of what he had to work with; his guys should be thankful for that, and the rest of us should recognize it, too.
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People don't really understand how great of a football player he was as well