Upchurch, star of UA's '1-2-3' backfield, dies
Jim Upchurch arrived at the UA in the summer of 1971 as one of the most highly-coveted running backs in Arizona history.
He had been a legendary high school running back in Vallejo, California, and signed with UCLA — recruited by Dick Tomey, of all people. But after encountering difficulties at UCLA, he transferred to Arizona.
Upchurch rushed for 1,184 yards in 1973, on Jim Young’s first UA team, and set a school record with 232 yards rushing against UTEP. He entered this season ranked No. 11 on the UA career list, with 2,389 yards.
Upchurch died of a diabetes-related disease last week in his hometown. He was 64.
In the “1-2-3” backfield, Upchurch was No. 3. Quarterback Bruce Hill was No. 1 and tailback Willie “Tuzo” Hamilton was No.2.
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When Hamilton, now a minister in Richmond, California, discovered that his old backfield teammate was seriously ill, he spent days commuting from Richmond to Vallejo to be with Upchurch.
He was with him when he died.
“We lost touch for about 10 years, from 2004-13, but we reunited,” Hamilton said. “I loved him. He was a good man.”
Upchurch had a tryout with the New Orleans Saints after his UA career. He worked for many years in the automotive shop at Southwest Gas in Tucson. He coached with Art Acosta at Rincon High School.
Upchurch’s family is having difficulty paying for a funeral service. A GoFundMe account has been established at gofundme.com/cr7a748k.
Thus far, many of his ex-Arizona teammates and coaches, including Bob Bockrath, Rex Naumetz, Wally Broomfield and Jerry D’Arcy, have contributed almost $2,000.
