Alden Stephen Rochè Jr. ( ; April 9, 1945 – May 29, 2022) was an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

player who was a

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

for nine seasons in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). He played for the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

, and

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...

from 1970 to 1978, having earlier played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

Southern University Southern University and A&M College (Southern University, Southern, SUBR or SU) is a public historically black land-grant university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It is the largest historically black college or university (HBCU) in Louisiana, a ...

Early life

Roche was born in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

on April 9, 1945. He attended Xavier University Preparatory School in his hometown. He then studied at

, where he played

for the Southern Jaguars. He received first-team All-American honors and was selected as an All- SWAC defensive end. He was also named the university's most valuable defensive lineman in 1969. Roche was drafted by the

in the second round (37th overall selection) of the

1970 NFL Draft The 1970 National Football League Draft was the 35th National Football League Draft and the first of the league's modern era, following the merger of the National Football League with the American Football League. It was held on January 27–28, 1 ...

Career

Roche made his NFL debut with the Broncos on September 20, 1970, at the age of 25, in a 25–10 win over the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...

. He played in all 14 games during his rookie season, before being traded to the

for Don Horn on January 28 the following year. The transaction also included a swap of

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6). The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history. Events Ja ...

first-round picks, with the Packers selecting

John Brockington John Stanley Brockington (born September 7, 1948) is a former American football player, a running back in the National Football League (NFL) with the Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs. He was a first round draft choice out of Ohio State Un ...

at 9th and the Broncos choosing Marv Montgomery at 12th. The Packers appointed

Dan Devine Daniel John Devine (December 23, 1924 – May 9, 2002) was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Arizona State University from 1955 to 1957, the University of Missouri from 1958 to 1970, and the Univers ...

as head coach six games into the 1971 season. He chose Roche as the starting right

, replacing the incumbent

Lionel Aldridge Lionel Aldridge (February 14, 1941 – February 12, 1998) was an American professional football player,''Total Football II: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League.'' New York: HarperCollins, 1999. 553. a defensive end in the Nat ...

, a holdover from the Packers' glory days under Vince Lombardi. Roche was noted for his versatility – filling in for Mike McCoy at left

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the la ...

and Clarence Williams at left defensive end – and won the Packers

most valuable player In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

award for defense that year. He went on to hold the starting role for the next five seasons, playing in all but one game during his tenure with the franchise. He played an integral role in helping the Packers finish second in the league in team defense during the 1972 season, when the team won what was ultimately their only division title between 1967 and 1995. He also tied with McCoy for the franchise lead in sacks (8.5) in 1976. Roche formed a noted defensive partnership with Williams. Roche joined the

in 1977. He spent his last two years in the NFL with the franchise before retiring after the 1978 season.

Personal life

Roche was inducted into the Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame in 1991. His grandson, Jay'Shawn Washington, played college football for the Southern Miss Golden Eagles from 2015 to 2018. Roche died on May 29, 2022 in

Marrero, Louisiana Marrero is a census-designated place (CDP) in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States. Marrero is on the south side (referred to as the "West Bank") of the Mississippi River, within the New Orleans– Metairie–Kenner metropolitan stat ...

at the age of 77.Alden Stephen Roche' Jr.
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roche, Alden 1945 births 2022 deaths People from Marrero, Louisiana Players of American football from New Orleans American football defensive linemen Southern Jaguars football players Green Bay Packers players Seattle Seahawks players