Former Nebraska Cornhusker punter Sam Koch is retiring after a 16-year NFL profession with the Baltimore Ravens.
Koch, 39, retired because the oldest and longest tenured participant in Ravens historical past. He was a sixth-round choose by Baltimore within the 2006 NFL Draft after a standout, record-shattering profession at Nebraska.
Koch began his profession with Nebraska as a redshirt freshman in 2002. Throughout his sophomore 12 months, he performed within the 2003 season's closing seven video games and dealt with Nebraska's kickoffs earlier than taking on the beginning punter position in 2004 as a junior. That 12 months, Nebraska ranked No. 16 nationally in internet punting at 38.39 yards per try.
Throughout his senior season, Koch had the best season ever by a Nebraska punter, obliterating the single-season punting common file. Koch’s punting common positioned him second nationally and helped Nebraska rank No. 2 nationally in internet punting at 39.85 yards per try.
In his skilled profession, Koch appeared in a Ravens franchise-record 256 regular-season video games, together with a file 239 consecutive video games from 2006-20. He was a member of Baltimore’s 2012 Tremendous Bowl-winning group and appeared in 20 postseason video games. He turned a Professional Bowler in 2015.
Koch set franchise data in punts (1,168), punt yardage (52,868), profession gross common (45.3), profession internet common (39.7) and punts contained in the 20 (453). His 1,168 profession punts are probably the most by a punter with a single group in NFL historical past.
What's extra, Koch accomplished 7 of 8 passes for 82 yards on pretend punts, scoring one speeding landing and one 2-point conversion on fakes, as effectively.
Koch was the holder on all however considered one of Justin Tucker’s 326 subject objectives made, together with 17 game-winners, serving to Tucker put collectively one of the best success price (91.1%) in NFL historical past.
"Many Ravens victories during the last 16 years are very a lot due to Sam’s efforts," Tucker stated. "He's an impressive teammate and chief in our locker room, and like many nice Ravens earlier than him, he has been important to defining our tradition as a group. Sam modified the way in which everybody within the soccer world appears to be like at punting, and his consistency and proficiency are unmatched all through the historical past of our recreation."
Koch's taking part in profession could be coming to an finish, however this is not the final followers will see of him, as he's set to hitch the Baltimore teaching employees as a particular groups advisor.
"Belief is a phrase that describes the deeply held relationship that Sam has with the Ravens," stated former particular groups coordinator and affiliate head coach Jerry Rosburg. "We may all the time belief that Sam can be ready. We may belief he would ship in clutch conditions. We may belief that he can be an exemplary teammate, and we may belief that his phrase was his bond.
"Sam will rightly be remembered in Baltimore as an elite performer, for he holds all of the related data of his place. However he may even be remembered within the colourful historical past of the NFL, and soccer at massive, for his unbelievable creativity and execution of different methods of punting the soccer."
Here is how the sports activities world reacted to Koch's retirement information.
The Related Press contributed to this report.
