Upshaw golf tourney to benefit cancer, concussion causes

In the decade since football legend Gene Upshaw died from pancreatic cancer in 2008, the Gene Upshaw Memorial Fund held with Tahoe Forest Health System Foundation has raised nearly $1.5 million for cancer and concussion research and helped fund vital programs and services for patients at the Gene Upshaw Memorial Tahoe Forest Cancer Center.

Terri Upshaw, Gene Upshaw’s wife, started the fund at Tahoe Forest Health System Foundation because of care her husband received at Tahoe Forest Hospital.

On July 8-9, National Football League hall of famers, former Major League Baseball players and other sports and entertainment celebrities will gather at Schaffer’s Mill Golf & Lake Club for the 10th annual Gene Upshaw Memorial Golf Classic. 

Proceeds from the 2017 tournament helped fund breakthrough technology in mammograms for area patients with the purchase of 3D mammography equipment, which is helping to improve breast cancer detection rates. The fund raised a total of $205,006 in 2017. Money also was given to further the Tahoe Institute for Rural Health Research’s mild traumatic brain injury diagnosis project. This project is attempting to develop a simple, portable, self-contained sideline diagnostic system for the identification of mTBI.

The tournament format features one sports celebrity and four amateurs on each team playing a shamble format.

Registration, sponsorship opportunities, volunteer inquiries and a full list of participating celebrities can be viewed online.