Rick Upchurch
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Rick Upchurch | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | May 20, 1952 |
| Place of birth |  Toledo, Ohio |
| Position(s) | Wide Receiver |
| College | Minnesota |
| NFL Draft | 1975 / Round 4/ Pick 95 |
| Career Highlights | |
| Pro Bowls | 4 |
| Honors | NFL 1980s All-Decade Team |
| Stats | |
| Statistics | |
| Team(s) | |
| 1975-1983 | Denver Broncos |
Rick Upchurch (born May 20, 1952 in Toledo, Ohio) is former professional American Football player who played Wide Receiver for the Denver Broncos (1975-1983) in the National Football League. Before his NFL career, he played for the University of Minnesota. In 2000, Upchurch was named one of the 300 best NFL players of all time [1].
In his 9 NFL seasons, Upchurch excelled as a receiver and a kick returner on special teams. In his rookie season, he rushed for 97 yards, caught 18 passes for 436 yards, returned 27 punts for 312 yards, and added another 1,014 yards returning kickoffs. In his second season, he set an NFL record by returning 4 punts for touchdowns and made the Pro Bowl. In the 1977 season, he led the NFL with 653 punt return yards and assisted his team to their first ever Super Bowl appearance. The Broncos lost Super Bowl XII to the Dallas Cowboys 27-10, but he had a good performance in the game. Upchurch amassed 125 total offensive yards (94 kickoff return, 22 punt return, 9 receiving), including a Super Bowl record 67-yard kickoff return in the 3rd quarter that set up Denver's only touchdown of the game.
Upchurch stayed with the Broncos until the 1983 season. He led the NFL in punt return average twice (1978 and 1982), and was selected to the pro bowl 3 more times (1978, 1979, 1982). He finished his 9 season career with 49 carries for 349 rushing yards, 267 receptions for 4,369 yards, 248 punt returns for 3,008 yards, and 95 kickoff returns for 2,355 yards. Overall, Upchurch gained 10,081 total yards and scored 35 touchdowns: 8 punt return, 24 receiving, 3 rushing. At the time of his retirement, his 8 punt returns for touchdowns were the most in NFL history.
Upchurch dated and was briefly engaged to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in the 1970s.[2]
In 2005, Upchurch became the head football coach at East High School in Pueblo, Colorado.
[edit] External links
[edit] Notes
- ^ How football helped shape Condoleezza the strategist, By DALE RUSSAKOFF, thestandard.com, Monday February 7, 2005. [1]
- ^ How football helped shape Condoleezza the strategist, By DALE RUSSAKOFF, thestandard.com, Monday February 7, 2005. [2]
| National Football League | NFL's 1980s All-Decade Team |
|---|
|
Joe Montana | Dan Fouts | Walter Payton | Eric Dickerson | Roger Craig | John Riggins | Jerry Rice | Steve Largent | James Lofton | Art Monk | Kellen Winslow | Ozzie Newsome | Anthony Muñoz | Jim Covert | Gary Zimmerman | Joe Jacoby | John Hannah | Russ Grimm | Bill Fralic | Mike Munchak | Dwight Stephenson | Mike Webster | Reggie White | Howie Long | Lee Roy Selmon | Bruce Smith | Randy White | |
