Upshaw’s professional career included stints with the Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs, and St. Louis Cardinals.
Marvin Upshaw, a former NFL player, died while receiving treatment at a facility in Modesto, California. He was 77.
Marvin and his older brother, Eugene “Gene” Upshaw, were born and nurtured in Robstown and developed exceptional athletic abilities. Both brothers had successful NFL careers.
Marvin was awarded baseball and football scholarships at Trinity University in San Antonio in 1964. Marvin, who stood 6-4 and weighed 245 pounds, was one of the school’s only African Americans at the time. He excelled in both sports and was inducted into the Tigers Hall of Fame in 2001.
The Cleveland Browns selected him with the 21st choice in the first round of the 1968 NFL Draft, and he spent two seasons with them.
After leaving for the draft before graduating, he returned in 1970 to complete his Bachelor of Science in Physical Education degree, according to a project about Marvin Upshaw on Trinity’s Coates Library website.
The defensive end and defensive tackle later played for the Kansas City Chiefs from 1970 to 1975 before retiring with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1976.After leaving the NFL, he relocated to Oakland, California.
