Taken in the fourth round of the 1975 NFL Draft out of Minnesota, Rick Upchurch arrived in Denver as a blazingly fast athlete whose multi-purpose speed gave opposing special teams coordinators sleepless nights. While he operated as a vertical threat at wide receiver—averaging a whopping 16.4 yards per catch over his career—his true magic happened with the football in his hands on punt and kickoff returns. Whenever #80 trotted out to field a punt at Mile High, the stadium erupted in anticipation of an instant touchdown.

Upchurch took the league by storm in 1976 when he set an NFL record by returning four punts for touchdowns in a single season—a mark that remains unbroken to this day. That electrifying campaign launched a legendary run where he was named a First-Team All-Pro three times (1976, 1978, 1982) and earned four Pro Bowl nods. In 1977, his league-leading 653 punt return yards helped fuel the "Orange Crush" era all the way to Super Bowl XII, where Upchurch provided Denver's spark with a then-Super Bowl record 67-yard kickoff return that set up the team's only touchdown.

Though return duties were his primary claim to fame, Upchurch grew into a highly capable starting receiver as well. His offensive peak arrived in 1979 when he led the Broncos across the board with 64 receptions, 937 receiving yards, and seven touchdown catches. Rare versatility defined his entire nine-year run in Denver, as he led the NFL in punt return average twice (1978, 1982) and was selected to both the NFL's 1970s and 1980s All-Decade Teams—the only player in Broncos franchise history to earn inclusion on two separate All-Decade rosters.

By the time he hung up his cleats following the 1983 season, Upchurch retired as the NFL's all-time career leader in punt return yards and tied for the most career punt return touchdowns (eight). Upchurch played in 119 regular-season games with 69 starts. He compiled 267 receptions, 4,369 receiving yards, 24 receiving touchdowns, 3,008 punt return yards (8 TDs), 2,355 kickoff return yards, and 10,081 all-purpose yards.  The Broncos inducted Upchurch into their Ring of Fame in 2014.