Markus Koch (born February 13, 1963) is a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

-born 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 ...

defensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numbe ...

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) for the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...

team which won a Super Bowl (1988). He played

high school football High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...

at the

Eastwood Collegiate Institute Eastwood Collegiate Institute is a public high school located at 760 Weber Street East in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. It was established in 1956. The school teams are known as the "Lions ". Eastwood is known for its Provincially ranked soccer team ...

Kitchener, Ontario ) , image_flag = Flag of Kitchener, Ontario.svg , image_seal = Seal of Kitchener, Canada.svg , image_shield=Coat of arms of Kitchener, Canada.svg , image_blank_emblem = Logo of Kitchener, Ontario.svg , blank_emblem_type = ...

and 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 ...

Boise State University Boise State University (BSU) is a public research university in Boise, Idaho. Founded in 1932 by the Episcopal Church, it became an independent junior college in 1934 and has been awarding baccalaureate and master's degrees It became a publ ...

. Koch served as Vice President of the Seattle chapter of the

National Football League Players Association The National Football League Players Association, or NFLPA, is a labor union representing National Football League (NFL) players. The NFLPA, which has headquarters in Washington, D.C., is led by president J. C. Tretter and executive director De ...

(NFLPA). Having finished his career before the internet age, Koch is overlooked by the media, which call

Sebastian Vollmer Sebastian Georg Vollmer (; born July 10, 1984) is a former German American football offensive tackle. He played college football at Houston and was drafted by the New England Patriots in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft and played his enti ...

of the Patriots the first German to be drafted (2nd, 2009) by the NFL and to win a Super Bowl. This is due to the fact that Koch unlike Vollmer never learned the sport in a german club and never played in a german amateur league.

College career

Koch was All

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 ...

Player, Boise State 1982-85. For three consecutive years he was selected first-team All-Big Sky Conference (1983–85).

Professional career

In the

1986 NFL Draft The 1986 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 29–30, 1986, at the Marriott Marq ...

, Koch was selected in the 2nd round as the 30th overall pick by the

. He was also selected in the

1986 CFL Draft The 1986 CFL Draft composed of eight rounds where 72 Canadian football players were chosen from eligible Canadian universities and Canadian players playing in the NCAA. 1st round 2nd round 3rd round 19. Calgary Stampeders ...

by the

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), based in Toronto, Ontario ...

. Koch played in

Super Bowl XXII Super Bowl XXII was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Washington Redskins and American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for th ...

, 1988 and was on injured reserved for

Super Bowl XXVI Super Bowl XXVI was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Washington Redskins and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Buffalo Bills to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion ...

, 1992. Koch injured his knee during the October 6, 1991 20-7 victory over the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

and was replaced by

Jason Buck Jason Ogden Buck (born July 27, 1963) is a former professional football player, a defensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL). Football career He played high school football for South Fremont in St. Anthony, Idaho, and college foot ...

. This would be the last time Koch played in the NFL. Koch was inducted into the Boise State Hall of Fame in 1993.

Life After Football

After spending six years in the

Koch received his License Massage Practitioner, Craniosacral Therapist, Acupressure Therapist, Reflexologist, Certified Yoga Instructor, Vipassana Meditation Instructor and uses modalities of Acupressure, Life Coaching, Energy Work, Massage Therapy, Reflexology. He works with his wife at Holistic PT holisticpt.us in Port Townsend, WA. Koch and his wife Amy were featured in "The Crazy Wisdom Journal" for their massage therapy work. Markus and Amy guide yearly retreats to Brazil.

Personal life

Koch currently lives in

Port Townsend, Washington Port Townsend is a city on the Quimper Peninsula in Jefferson County, Washington, United States. The population was 10,148 at the 2020 United States Census. It is the county seat and only incorporated city of Jefferson County. In addition to ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Koch, Markus 1963 births Living people German players of American football American football defensive linemen Boise State Broncos football players Washington Redskins players