What does GU 63 actually mean?

Former Raider and NFL Union Head Gene Upshaw, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer and died several days later. As a Raider, he wore the number 63, hence the tribute.

He was a great player and a great human being. He did a lot for the players and for the NFL as a whole.

GU 63 is thus a tribute to Gene Upshaw.

Gene Upshaw, the Pro Football Hall of Famer and executive director of the NFL Players Association, who died on Aug. 20, will be honored prior to Thursday’s game. His wife Terri and his three sons - Eugene, Jr., Daniel and Justin - will participate in the pre-game coin toss.

All NFL players will wear a jersey patch this season in honor of Upshaw. The round patch will contain the letters “GU” and the number “63” (Upshaw’s uniform number with the Oakland Raiders) in white on a black background.

It will be positioned on the left chest of players’ jerseys. A replica of the uniform patch will be painted on the field in all 16 NFL stadiums hosting games on Kickoff Weekend. A video tribute to Upshaw will be shown in each stadium. In addition, one NFLPA player representative per team this weekend will wear a black armband in honor of Upshaw.