First, the life lesson. Cancer jumped up and bit one more person without warning! Gene was diagnosed on Saturday with Cancer and died on Thursday. WOW! Next to immediate death due to an accident, how would that be for planning. It helps us remember the reality of mortality. We don't have any promises of tomorrow, and we should live as if that could be true. What would Gene have done this last week, month and year, had he known today was coming? The life lesson for me is to live life without an entitlement attitude. I am not entitled to tomorrow, therefore I will make today a great day in the life of those around me and thus, it will be a great day for me.
The memory for me is also life changing. I was a replacement player for the New England Patriots in 1987. I was asked to stay on the team through the remainder of that season because of roster increases after the strike. I was a guy that was crossing the picket lines that Gene Upshaw had drawn. My daughter had been born the first day of the strike and I accepted the call to the Patriots standing in the hospital looking at this little girl while wondering how I was going to pay for her birth and her life. Wasn't much of a decision for me to cross the lines.
Many of the players were understanding of this decision but some were absolute jerks. Guys like Craig James never spoke to me the entire season. A couple of weeks after the strike I was in the locker room prior to a game when Gene Upshaw walked in the locker room. He went from player to player getting acquainted and catching up with old buddies. I was not near my locker and didn't have my jersey on, so he could not have known who I was. I remember thinking "A rookie who was the 48th man on a 48 man roster who crossed the picket lines a few weeks earlier was not going to be one of his favorite people to speak to". I was wrong on all accounts.
He came up to me and said "Hey Linne, what's up man?" I was floored. He knew my name, spoke to me like he had known me all his life, and was eye to eye with me listening for my response. He spoke with me for about 15 minutes just getting to know me. No judgement, no condemnation, just a sincere desire to know me better and give me 15 minutes of his time.
This isn't the end. A year later I was in San Diego, playing for the San Diego Chargers. It was early in the season and he came to the stadium while we were arriving for a game against the Cowboys. I was in my street clothes and walking across the field. He met me at about the 30 yard line and said, "Hey Linne, what's up man?" Now I was really floored. He remembered me and spoke to me like I was his old friend.
What was the lessons learned?
- Learn peoples name. They will respect it and appreciate that you care enough about them to remember.
- Live your life for others. Gene sincerely cared more about others and lived his life serving others.
- Don't place a value on men. Gene could have spent all his time with the superstars and the media. He didn't. He spent time with every man!
- Forgiveness. Gene knew I crossed HIS line. He immediately forgave me and became my friend.
I don't know if Gene Upshaw would remember me if I were to run into him in the last year. How could anyone remember the number of people he has known and served in his life? I don't know but I would not be surprised if he were to see me in a grocery store and remember my name.
Gene made a big impression on my life and I hope I can take the lessons I learned from him and make the same difference in someone else's life.
Gene Upshaw, I won't forget, Rest in Peace!
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