Rick Upchurch was a decent Wide Receiver who started 69 of his 119 Games, which reflects where he was in the food chain.  His best season as a wideout was in 1979 where he had 937 Receiving Yards with seven Touchdowns.  Where he shined in the league was as a Returner, and he would be named a four-time Pro Bowl and two-time First Team All-Pro as a Return Specialist.  Upchurch would three times lead the NFL in Yards per Punt Return, and overall he would accumulate 10,081 All-Purpose Yards.

Denver inducted Upchurch to their Ring of Fame in 2014.

From the University of Minnesota, Rick Upchurch came to the Denver Broncos in 1975, and like many Wide Receivers, he was used as a returner as a rookie.  This was the role in which he was he would primarily be used in his first four seasons.  In that time span, he was a Pro Bowler and a First Team All-Pro Selection twice and was regarded as the premier Punt Returner in the NFL.