Baltimore Ravens P Sam Koch announced his retirement as an NFL player on Thursday and will now join the coaching staff as a special teams consultant.
Here are several key notes about Koch's impressive 16-year playing career:
- A 16-year veteran, Koch appeared in a franchise-record 256 regular season games – 239 of which came consecutively from 2006-20 (also a team record).
- A member of Baltimore's 2012 Super Bowl XLVII Championship team, Koch also played in 20 postseason contests for a total of 276 career games in a Ravens' uniform.
- Considered one of the NFL's most innovative punters – and one of the greatest holders of all time – Koch was named to the 2015 Pro Bowl, also earning second-team All-Pro honors that year. Koch was also a Pro Bowl alternate on three occasions (2010, 2014 & 2019).
- A three-time AFC Special Teams Player of the Week, he produced franchise records in punts (1,168), punt yardage (52,868), career gross average (45.3), career net average (39.7) and punts inside the 20 (453). His 1,168 career punts are the most by a punter with a single team in NFL history.
- Koch also held on all but one of K Justin Tucker's 326 fields goals made, including 17 game-winners, helping Tucker register the best success rate (91.1%) in NFL history.
- On fake punts and kicks during his career, Koch was 7-of-8 passing for 82 yards (109.4 rating). He also scored one rushing touchdown and one two-point conversion on fakes.
- Koch's 2021 campaign contributed to Baltimore's special teams unit ranking No. 1 in Football Outsiders' DVOA rating. (The Ravens also ranked No. 1 in 2012, 2015 and 2017, with Koch helping guide the group.)
- In 2020, Koch was the league's only punter to place at least 20 punts (22) inside the 20-yard line and have no more than one touchback.
- In 2017, Koch ranked first in the NFL in both punts pinned inside the 20 (40) and inside the 10 (16), and he finished tied for second in punts downed inside the 5 (5).
- Originally selected by Baltimore in the sixth round of the 2006 NFL Draft, Koch is a Seward, Neb., native who attended the University of Nebraska. He and his wife, Nikki, have four children: sons Ryan (23), Braxtyn (18) and Kamdyn (16), and daughter, Gianna (8).
Below are several quotes from current and former Ravens about Koch's career:
Former Special Teams Coordinator & Associate Head Coach Jerry Rosburg
"For 16 consecutive years, Sam Koch has been entrusted with the job of being the punter for the Baltimore Ravens. And just like the last two plays of Super Bowl XLVII, Sam has delivered.
"Trust is a word that describes the deeply-held relationship that Sam has with the Ravens. We could always trust that Sam would be prepared; we could trust he would deliver in clutch situations; we could trust that he would be an exemplary teammate; and we could trust that his word was his bond.
"Sam will rightly be remembered in Baltimore as an elite performer, for he holds all the relevant records of his position. But he will also be remembered in the colorful history of the NFL, and football at large, for his incredible creativity and execution of alternative ways of punting the football.
"Let it be noted that Sam Koch changed the game in this regard. He is also the greatest holder in the history of football. In a game filled with elite athletes, Sam demonstrated athletic ability at which other players would marvel.
"Sam Koch departs the NFL as a true champion. He has my enduring gratitude, respect and love."
Special Teams Coordinator Chris Horton
"Congratulations to Sam on an amazing career. To spend 16 years with one organization says a lot about Sam as a player, what he's accomplished and his approach to the game. He came into the building every day with a mindset to get better. I watched as he continued to grow and achieve just that.
"Sam's teammates looked up to him and respected him for his workmanlike attitude each day. As a coach, I appreciated all his hard work and dedication. I've never been around a player who worked as hard as Sam Koch, and I look forward to watching him pour that energy into the next chapter of his life.
"I would say to Sam, 'Continue to be you. You're an amazing person who is loved by many – the coaches, your teammates and the fans – and it's all because of who you are and what you've done, not only on the field, but in the community. Enjoy the ride; you've had a great career. You deserve everything that is coming your way. Thank you.'"
Special Teams Coach Randy Brown
"I'm extremely grateful for the 16-year relationship that I've had with Sam, as he's helped me grow both professionally and personally. The impact that he has had on me as a coach and that he has had on others in the National Football League – especially punters – has been truly incredible.
"Sam has revolutionized the game of football. He introduced the idea that punters could have different types of punts, as well as have punts designed to place the ball inside the 10-yard line and to keep the ball away from returners – who have become much more dynamic in recent years. As a whole, every punter in the NFL owes Sam Koch a debt of gratitude for being the pioneer of change on how punting is executed in this league.
"The relationship between Sam and me hasn't been one confined to the field. Our relationship extends far beyond that, and I truly count him as one of my closest friends in life. I'm so excited to have the chance to continue working with him every day."
K Justin Tucker
"Sam is the ultimate example of what it means to be a professional. The great memories we created together start with him and his work ethic, his abilities and his attention to detail. I owe much of my success over the last 10 years to Sam, and many Ravens' victories over the last 16 years are very much because of Sam's efforts. He is an outstanding teammate and leader in our locker room, and like many great Ravens before him, he has been essential to defining our culture as a team. Sam changed the way everyone in the football world looks at punting, and his consistency and proficiency are unmatched throughout the history of our game.
"Beyond all his football accomplishments, Sam is a family man and a true friend. He has made me better in many ways, and for that I will always be grateful. It may be somewhat bittersweet for me to see Sam move into this next chapter of his life, but I'm so proud to have had the chance to learn from the best and witness firsthand his Hall of Fame-worthy career."
Former LS Morgan Cox
"No one exemplifies the saying, 'Do everything like you do one thing' better than Sam.
"I have him to thank for where I am in my career. He made no secret about how high his expectations were for me, for himself and for those around him. He demands the best out of everyone – from the maintenance staff to the head coach.
"Sam never took a day off from being the best punter he could possibly be. Whether it was a practice day in March or the Super Bowl, he approached every rep the same. Everything had to be perfect. If it wasn't, he'd then spend all his energy figuring out why – and he'd fix it.
"His approach to fatherhood and friendship are the exact same. He expects to be at his best every single day. I've never known anyone else to have the tenacity for being great more than Sam. Whether he is coaching his kids' sports teams or answering a FaceTime call to help me repair an appliance, Sam gives it everything he has.
"I'm incredibly proud to have played a role in Sam's remarkable career and to call him a close friend. Congratulations, Sam!"
