Updated: August 21, 2008

NEW YORK -- Gene Upshaw, the Hall of Fame guard who during a quarter
century as union head helped get NFL players free agency and the
riches that came with it, has died. He was 63.

Upshaw died Wednesday night at his home in Lake Tahoe, Calif., of
pancreatic cancer, which was diagnosed only last Sunday, the NFL
Players Association said Thursday. His wife Terri and sons Eugene Jr.,
Justin and Daniel were by his side.

Upshaw had not been feeling well for about a week and his wife had
even noticed his breathing had become somewhat labored, sources told
ESPN's Chris Mortensen. She convinced him to go to the emergency room
on Sunday, and that's where he was diagnosed.

Upshaw's family is only going to have a private service. The league
and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell are in discussions with players'
association president Kevin Mawae, who plays center for the Titans, on
how to honor Upshaw, but they have not yet come to a conclusion,
Mortensen is reporting.

There will be more of a public memorial service sometime in September,
most likely in the Washington, D.C., area, where the players'
association is headquartered.

As far as a successor, there is nothing in place at the moment,
sources told Mortensen.

"Gene Upshaw did everything with great dignity, pride, and
conviction," Goodell said.

"He was the rare individual who earned his place in the Pro Football
Hall of Fame both for his accomplishments on the field and for his
leadership of the players off the field. He fought hard for the
players and always kept his focus on what was best for the game. His
leadership played a crucial role in taking the NFL and its players to
new heights."

His death was first reported by Clear Channel Online that appeared on
several radio Web sites.

Upshaw's death came only two days after the union announced he would
hold a briefing on labor negotiations before the Sept. 4 season opener
between Washington and the New York Giants.

"It is a very, very sad day. He was a leader without peers and a dear
friend who I will never forget," NFLPA outside counsel Jeffrey Kessler
said.

His outstanding 15-season playing career was entirely with the Oakland
Raiders and included two Super Bowl wins and seven Pro Bowl
appearances. Upshaw's biography was posted on the front page of the
Hall of Fame Web site Thursday along with his enshrinement speech from
1987.

In 1983, he became executive director of the players' association and
guided it through the 1987 strike that led to replacement football. By
1989, the players had a limited form of freedom, called Plan B, and in
1993, free agency and a salary cap were instituted.

Since then, the players have prospered so much that NFL owners
recently opted out of the latest labor contract, which was negotiated
two years ago by Upshaw and then-commissioner Paul Tagliabue.

Upshaw was criticized by some for not being tough enough in talks with
Tagliabue, a close friend of the union head. He also was blamed by
many older veterans for not dealing sufficiently with their health
concerns.

But the salary cap for this season is $116 million and the players are
making close to 60 percent of the 32 teams' total revenues, as
specified in the 2006 agreement. In all, the players will be paid $4.5
billion this year, according to owners.

Upshaw recently became more aggressive in his dealings with the owners
and Tagliabue's successor, Goodell. Owners opted out of the collective
bargaining agreement, which means a season without a salary cap in
2010. Upshaw declared the cap would disappear for good should there be
no new deal by March 2010.

"I'm not going to sell the players on a cap again," Upshaw said. "Once
we go through the cap, why should we agree to it again?"

NFL officials claimed players are getting a disproportionate amount of
the revenue. Upshaw's supporters said management's viewpoint indicates
he did his job well.

The players called a strike in 1987 -- leading to games with
replacements -- and it wasn't until 1993 that labor peace was reached
with a breakthrough seven-year contract. It included free agency and a
salary cap. Almost ever since, player salaries have spiraled up along
with revenue from television and marketing deals made by the league.

The NFLPA also has its own marketing arm, Players Inc., established in
1994, that has grown into a multimillion dollar operation.

Upshaw came up against controversy in 2006 when some 325 retired
players from the AFL and NFL came forward with accounts of being given
minimal disability benefits.

Baltimore Ravens kicker Matt Stover had been leading an effort to oust
Upshaw as the NFLPA executive director. In April, he e-mailed a plan
to fellow player representatives to have a new union boss in place by
March 2009.

Upshaw responded, speaking of the looming labor confrontation with
owners when the current contract expires, by saying: "I would never
leave until this deal is done."

Frequently was listed as one of the most powerful men in U.S. sports,
Upshaw was drafted in the first round by Oakland in 1967 out of Texas
A&I -- hardly a football factory. He was an NAIA All-American at
center, tackle and end, but was switched to left guard by the Raiders.

And that's where he stayed through a magnificent career that included
10 conference championship games as well as the Super Bowl victories.