Barton "Botchey" Koch (April 22, 1907 – April 28, 1964) was an American

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 ...

player. He was the first consensus All-America football player from the Southwest Conference. He was elected to the Baylor Sports Hall of Fame in 1961, the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 1967 and the

College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive attraction devoted to college football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players and coaches of college football that were vote ...

in 1974. He was named to the All Time Texas High School Team by ''Texas Football'' magazine in 1968 and to the "50-Year Super Stars" of the Southwest Conference by Texas Football magazine in 1969. In 1984, he was added to the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame.

Baylor University

After earning All-State football honors at Temple High School in Temple, Texas, Koch played

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison ...

for the

Baylor Bears The Baylor Bears are the athletic teams that represent Baylor University. The teams participate in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as one of only two private school members of the Big 12 Conference. Prior to j ...

Baylor University Baylor University is a private Baptist Christian research university in Waco, Texas. Baylor was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Texas and one of the fir ...

. In 1929 he was chosen for an All-Southern team selected by football fans throughout the south and published by the ''Central Press'' newspapers. In 1930 he was a consensus All-American. He was selected by famed sportswriter Grantland Rice as an All-America in Collier's Magazine for 1930. Knute Rockne also wrote of Koch's outstanding play in a letter to Baylor University shortly before Rockne's death in a plane crash. Koch was chosen the outstanding defensive player in the East-West Shrine Game at San Francisco's Kezar Stadium. It was a game in which the West defeated the East, 3-0. The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' reported, "there were a lot of great linemen in that game . . . but Koch was easily the best. A steamroller could not get over him." In 1940, Harry Stuhldreher, quarterback of Notre Dame's Four Horsemen, and Rice named Koch to their All-Time All-American team for publication. "He was the best guard I ever saw," Stuhldreher said. "Rockne also told me he was far and away the best guard Knute ever saw. Koch was big, fast, smart and aggressive - a powerful lineman with a keen football brain. I haven't seen as good a guard since - either in college or pro."

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* 1907 births 1964 deaths American football guards Baylor Bears football players All-American college football players All-Southern college football players College Football Hall of Fame inductees Temple High School (Texas) alumni Players of American football from Texas {{collegefootball-player-stub