STATELINE, Nev. – Lake Tahoe Community College graduate Valery Gonzalez has received the $10,000 Gene Upshaw Memorial Scholarship, presented annually during the American Century Championship at Edgewood Tahoe.
“She’s one of our superstars,” said Nancy Harrison, executive director of Foundation and College Partnerships at Lake Tahoe Community College. “She’s involved in student government, she volunteers, she’s worked at golf tournaments for years with the Optimist group, and she has embodied Gene’s legacy. She’s giving back, and her goal is to continue doing that moving forward.”
Now in its 19th year, the Gene Upshaw Memorial Scholarship was established by Terri Upshaw to honor her husband’s deep connection to Lake Tahoe while investing in promising local students. Each year, NBC Sports and the Upshaw family present the scholarship during the American Century Championship.
Gene Upshaw served as executive director of the National Football League Players Association from June 1983 until his death in August 2008 after a successful 16-year NFL career. During that time, he worked to protect and advance the rights of professional football players throughout the league and also served as chairman of NFL Players Inc.
“Gene was this larger-than-life character who put his arms around me. He had such an unbelievable presence, and I didn’t understand why he took me under his wing. He was just so good to me,” said Gary Quinn, vice president of partnerships and general manager of NBC Sports Group. “Then to lose him, the first instinct was, ‘How can we honor his name?'”
A perennial All-Pro offensive guard for the Oakland Raiders, Upshaw was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987, his first year of eligibility. He also received numerous humanitarian honors throughout his career, including the Byron “Whizzer” White Humanitarian Award in 1980.
Upshaw died suddenly from pancreatic cancer on Aug. 20, 2008, at Tahoe Forest Hospital in Truckee.
Gonzalez said that while researching Upshaw and his legacy, she found his commitment to serving others inspiring.
“What I saw was very motivating. This is exactly who I want to be,” Gonzalez said. “I want to serve people. I want to make sure that I do what I can to help people.”
Gonzalez graduated from Lake Tahoe Community College in the spring and will attend Chico State University this fall, where she plans to pursue a bachelor’s degree in physical therapy. She received a total of $17,000 in scholarships; $10,000 from the Gene Upshaw Memorial Scholarship and an additional $7,000 from Lake Tahoe Community College scholarship funds.
NBC Sports donates $10,000 to the scholarship fund each year.
