Raiders need to retire these five jersey numbers immediately
By Brad Weiss
No. 63: Raiders OL Gene Upshaw
With the No. 17 overall pick in the 1967 Draft, the Oakland Raiders selected offensive lineman Gene Upshaw from Texas A&I University. Upshaw would go on to play his entire career in the Silver and Black, and is still widely considered one of the best offensive linemen in the history of the sport.
Upshaw was a part of three championship teams for the Raiders, winning the AFL title as a rookie, and then helping the Silver and Black to two Super Bowl victories. He was a part of one of the best offensive lines in the history of football, and would go on to be a leader for labor relations for the NFL after his retirement.
You cannot write the history of the NFL without Upshaw, who played in so many all-time games, and was ranked in the top-100 players of all-time. When he passed away back in 2008, the league wore patches with his No. 63 on it, a symbol of just what he not only meant to the Raiders, but the game of football.
Upshaw's No. 63 has been worn by numerous players in Raiders history, and while he was the third to ever wear it in team history, a No. 63 jersey worn by fans is always Upshaw.