There are a ton of Raiders alumni that could be argued as the franchise's greatest player of all-time. Bo Jackson, Charles Woodson, Ken Stabler, Marcus Allen, Time Brown, Howie Long, the list goes on... However, the talent of the Raiders' offensive linemen throughout the 1970s went unmatched. So, we're giving the Raiders' crown to none other than Hall of Fame offensive guard, Gene Upshaw. While Art Shell and Jim Otto were also apart of that great o-line Upshaw was team's o-line enforcer.
Following his collegiate football career at Texas A&I University, Upshaw was picked 17th overall in the 1967 NFL Draft. Upshaw would go on to play his entire career as a member of the Raiders starting in 207 out 217 games he was listed active for. The 6x Pro Bowler was a member of the team's two Super Bowl victories in Super Bowl XI and XV and was nominated for three First-Team All-Pro roster spots throughout his career. Unforunately, Upshaw tragically passed away at the age of 63-years-old days after finding out he had pancreatic cancer in 2008. Gene Upshaw will be remembered for his contributions to game of football forever.