Sam Koch Retires After 16 Year Career
Ravens punter Sam Koch retired on Thursday during a press conference held at the Ravens Owings Mills facility.
Koch played 16 years in the NFL all with the Ravens. Drafted in the sixth-round in 2006 out of the University of Nebraska, Koch played in 239 consecutive games before missing a game in 2020 due to Covid. That would be the only game he would miss during his accomplished career that saw him make the Pro Bowl in 2015, as well as being honored as a second-team All-Pro in 2015.
Koch’s longevity allowed him to become the Ravens all time leader in games played at 256, 27 more than any other Ravens player.
Koch finishes his career with 1,168 punts that accumulated a total of 52,868 yards an average of 45.3 yards per punt good for 19th all-time in NFL history. Koch never averaged less than 43 yards per punt at any point in his career.
While Sam Koch was most known for his punting ability, he also had a knack for throwing the ball. Koch finished his career competing 7 passes on 8 attempts, with his only incompletion of his career coming during a fake punt attempt in 2021. Koch would also score one touchdown in his career coming on a seven yard rush on a fake field goal in 2012.
Koch revolutionized the punting game in the NFL using different holding and kicking techniques to change the angle and direction of the ball. Koch became well known around the league for his great ability to often pin opposing teams inside their own 10-yard line. Koch has also been an exceptional holder on field goals never mishandling a snap at any point of his career.
Justin Tucker is now the only remaining player on the active roster that was a member of the Ravens 2012 Super Bowl winning team.
Sam Koch might not be suiting up for the Ravens in 2022, but he will remain around the team as he will serve as a special teams consultant on the Ravens coaching staff.
The Ravens will now turn to rookie punter Jordan Stout whom the Ravens drafted in the fourth-round out of Penn State in April’s NFL draft.
Ravens Press Release:
P SAM KOCH ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT
Koch to Become Baltimore Ravens Special Teams Consultant
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.
