'I can't think of anyone like Gene'

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When I heard the stunning news of the death of Gene Upshaw this morning, I thought: How many people in NFL history have been as impactful on the game as Upshaw? A few, certainly. But how many people have had two totally different careers in the same sport and been giants at each?

Upshaw is one of 61 first-ballot Hall of Famers, the result of a 15-year career during which he was the unquestioned offensive leader of the one of the best offensive teams in the last 40 years. June marked his 25th anniversary as executive director of the NFL Players Association, and there are few labor leaders in modern sports who can boast of his record of 20 straight years without a job action.

This morning, I asked the Pro Football Hall of Fame's vice president and resident historian, Joe Horrigan, if there was anyone in football history who had two such distinctive, separate and stellar careers as Upshaw. Horrigan thought out loud about Chuck Noll and Don Shula, marginal players and terrific coaches, and about other people from other eras, then said:

"I can't think of anyone like Gene.''

One thing I feel strongly about: Upshaw was beaten up over the years for being too soft, and for being in the owners' pocket. I understood the point, but I felt differently. Upshaw was not Donald Fehr, to be sure. He was more of a partner, because he'd played the game, and he realized it was a team game, and so when concepts like the salary cap were discussed in the early nineties, Upshaw bought into them. Why? He knew if there was a cadre of owners spending twice as much as Green Bay or Cincinnati, the Packers and Bengals would eventually have the same problem competing as do the lower-revenue teams in baseball -- even if revenue-sharing continued with the equal splitting of the network-TV pie. Upshaw took the slings and arrows over the years for being too soft, but I thought agreeing to a free agency tied to a cap was actually a brave thing for him to do. He knew the militants would rip him for it, but he also knew it was the best thing long-term for competitive balance.

"He never lost sight of the interests of the game and the big picture,'' said former commissioner Paul Tagliabue.

"Gene always tried to do the right thing for everybody,'' Horrigan said. "He cared deeply about the league and what was right. As a player, he was everything you'd want -- quiet, hard-hitting, stoic, leader by example, dignified. As a player leader, he showed the players and the game are the same thing. It's a team game. The game was good for everyone. He was for the common good.''

My favorite memory of Upshaw: Four days after 9/11, I was playing phone tag with Upshaw, trying to get his opinion on the league canceling the games that weekend. I was walking in Manhattan when my cell phone rang. It was Upshaw, explaining how the player reps voted to recommend no games be played that weekend.

"I have never been so proud in this job as I was Wednesday night," he told me. "There was no talk about labor contracts, no arguing about Nike or Reebok, no raised voices. Only respectful discussion. Everyone's point was heard.''

There will be time to dissect Upshaw's Achilles heels -- his recent battles with retired players over benefits, players who tried to get him out of office in recent months. For now, I'll remember his post-9/11 selflessness the most.