University of Minnesota Athletics
Rick Upchurch - M Club Hall of Fame
Rick Upchurch
Football, 1973-74
HOF Class of 2001
Rick Upchurch transferred to Minnesota after earning back-to-back All-America honors as a wide receiver/halfback/kick returner at Iowa’s Indian Hills Junior College.
Playing with the Gophers in 1973 and 1974, he was able to showcase his blistering speed. A second-team All-Big Ten honoree, he ran back one kickoff a record 100 yards. In addition to leading the team in rushing and scoring during those two years, he led in receptions in 1974. He set a school record for most return yards in a season with 305, and ranked tenth in all-time rushing yards 1,783 in just two seasons, and yards in a single season, 942.
Upchurch was selected in the fourth round of the 1975 NFL draft by the Denver Broncos, for whom he would play for his entire pro career. (He caught Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway’s first NFL pass.)
The four-time Pro-Bowler led the NFL in punt return yardage average in 1978 and 1982, and finished his pro career with 49 carries for 349 yards, 267 receptions for 4,369 yards, 248 punt returns for 3,008 yards, and 95 kickoff returns for 2,355 yards. He was picked for two NFL All-Decade Teams as a kick returner.