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Article: GRATEFUL UPCHURCH ENTERS HALL FORMER BRONCOS STAR AMONG CLASS OF FIVE.(Sports)
- Article from:
- Rocky Mountain News (Denver, CO)
- Article date:
- February 19, 2003
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 Rocky Mountain News. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of Dialog LLC by Gale Group. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Pat Rooney
SPECIAL TO THE NEWS
There were few people more grateful for the acquisition of Rick Upchurch by the Denver Broncos than Billy Thompson.
When Upchurch joined the Broncos in the fall of 1975, Thompson already had established himself as one of the most durable defensive backs in the NFL. He also was one of the best punt and kickoff returners in the league, but Thompson was more than happy to hand off those special-teams jobs to the rookie from the University of Minnesota.
``I ran them back,'' Thompson said of his role as the Broncos' primary kick returner. ``And the good thing about (Upchurch) was that he replaced me. ...