Greg Koch (born June 14, 1955) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

tackle and guard who played eleven 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 ...

, mainly with the

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 ...

. In 2010, Koch was inducted into the

Hall of Fame. Koch was also inducted into the

University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and the largest university in the state. Founded as Arkansas ...

Sports Hall of Honor in 2010. He was inducted in the State of

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

Sports Hall of Fame in March 2016. He is a licensed attorney and was co-host of In The Trenches with Koch and Kalu on SportsTalk 790 KBME in

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

until retiring in 2019. Koch is also known for his 16-hour drinking contest with former WWE star Lex Luger. Koch was included in The 100 greatest Packers Players for the 100 year celebration of the NFL checking in at number 67.

College career

Koch was a four-year letterman at the University of Arkansas. He was a starter for the Arkansas Razorbacks where he was part of the offensive line that blocked for the school record 3,523 rushing yards in 1975. That same season Koch was a First-team All-SWC. Koch played in the All-America Bowl in Tampa, Florida after the 1976 season. Koch was named the Razorback 1970s All-Decade team with offensive linemen R. C. Thielemann,

Leotis Harris Leotis Harris (born June 28, 1955 in Little Rock, Arkansas) is a former American football offensive guard in the NFL. He played his entire six-year career for the Green Bay Packers. He attended the University of Arkansas. Harris is also a memb ...

, George Stewart, and Greg Kolenda.

Professional career

Green Bay Packers

A second-round draft choice in 1977 from the University of Arkansas, Koch played nine seasons (1977–85) in Green Bay, appearing in 133 games. A fixture at right tackle almost immediately upon his arrival, he was a Second-team All-Pro selection following the 1982 season and was part of one of the greatest offenses in club history when the Packers amassed 6,172 yards in 1983, the second-best output ever in club annals.

Miami Dolphins

Koch played his final two seasons with Miami in 1986 and the 1st game of 1987 at his customary right tackle spot. Rumor has it, while he was with the Dolphins, Koch lost an epic drinking battle with Lawrence Wendell Pfohl better known by the ring name

Lex Luger Lawrence Wendell Pfohl (born June 2, 1958), better known by the ring name Lex Luger, is an American retired professional wrestler, bodybuilder, and football player. In 2011 he began working with WWE on its wellness policy. He is best known for ...

. Some reports have the match lasting upwards of 15 hours. After the strike in 1987, his former Packer offensive coordinator Bob Schnelker traded two draft choices for him in Minnesota..

Minnesota Vikings

He played right guard for the Vikings in 1987 where they made it to the NFC Championship game, eventually losing to the Washington Redskins. Despite being wanted back by the Vikings in 1988, he then went to law school and has been a practicing attorney and part-time radio host in Houston Texas since 1992. He was also known in Minnesota for his avid gardening skills and prolific poetry.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Koch, Greg 1955 births Living people American football offensive linemen Green Bay Packers players Miami Dolphins players Minnesota Vikings players Arkansas Razorbacks football players People from Bethesda, Maryland Players of American football from Maryland