| Aaron Koch |
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 | Class:
Senior
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| Hometown:
Keizer, Ore.
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| High School:
McNary High School
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| Height / Weight:
6-3 / 293
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| Position:
Right Guard
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| Birthdate:
02/21/1978
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PERSONAL--(Pronunciation--Cook) Born 2/21/78 in Portland, OR...son of Paul and Christina Koch...his father is a personnel analyst for the State of Oregon and his mother is a production scheduler for Boise Cascade Corporation...he is in the College of Liberal Arts and is a psychology major...entered OSU with a 3.93 GPA...enjoys snow skiing, reading the Bible, Young Life and his church youth group...Aaron was selected by the NCAA as one of 370 student-athletes to participate in the second annual NCAA Foundation Leadership Conference on May 25-28, 1998, at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida...being offered a football scholarship by OSU has been his top prep athletic thrill...selected OSU because, "I felt this is where I belong because of the spirit and warmth and interest the OSU coaching staff has shown in me. I feel I really have a chance to do well academically and athletically."
OSU--(1999-Senior)--Aaron enters his senior season having started 22 straight games and having played in 33 straight games...started 11 games at center his sophomore year and 11 as a junior at right guard, where he was outstanding...Aaron is the most experienced offensive lineman on the squad...has developed into a good pass blocker as well as run blocker...had a very good spring practice and is a strong candidate for postseason honors...in the weight room, Aaron has posted personal bests of 311 pounds in the hang clean, 390 in the bench press, 570 in the back squat and 320 in the incline...has a vertical jump best of 24.00 inches.
(1998-Junior)--Aaron had a solid year as OSU's starting center in 1997 and his performance during spring drills indicated he has improved his game to another level...he divided his time between center and guard during the spring as then offensive line coach Jim Gilstrap cross trained Aaron at three different positions...OSU would feel very comfortable about starting Aaron at offensive guard because of his overall athletic ability...in addition to his size, he has very good feet and quickness which would be an asset as a pulling guard...when fall camp opened, Aaron was moved to right guard and Keith DiDomenico to starting center...the move proved to very successful and Koch had an outstanding season, starting all 11 games, giving him 22 straight starts...for the second straight year, Aaron was selected honorable mention on the Pac-10 All-Academic team after posting a 3.61 GPA...also selected by CoSIDA/GTE as a first team selection on the District 8 All-Academic team.
(1997-Sophomore)--Aaron was OSU's starting center during the 1997 season, starting all 11 games after playing in all 11 games as a backup center in 1996...Aaron was named honorable mention on the Pac-10 All-Academic team following his sophomore year...after spending the 1996 season as a backup to Jamie Critchlow at center, Aaron was ready to step up as the starter in 1997 at center...when spring drills opened Aaron was listed as the No. 1 right guard...however, that experiment lasted only one week and he was back at his customary center position...he completed spring drills as the starting center.
(1996-Redshirt Freshman)--Aaron was considered an outstanding prospect and was being counted on for playing duty in his rookie season in 1996...Aaron opened spring drills as the backup center to the incumbent starter, Jamie Critchlow...reported to fall camp as the backup center and spent the 1996 campaign in that role...participated in a total of 177 plays and played in all 11 games to get a good taste of Pac-10 football...he is very athletic, moves well, has good technique and makes very good decisions.
(1995-Freshman)--Aaron spent the 1995 season as a redshirt center and performed extremely well on the offensive scout team.
McNARY HIGH SCHOOL, Keizer, OR--(1992-94) Aaron was a three-year letterman in football and wrestling at McNary...he was a two-time all-Valley League player for the McNary Celtics and Coach Garry Swanson...Aaron was a first-team all-league pick on offense and defense his junior year and a first-team pick on defense his senior year and second-team on offense...Aaron chose OSU over Oregon and Washington...Aaron was selected and played in the North-South Shrine Game in Corvallis on July 22, 1995...was a member of the South squad...Aaron was a two-time district champion in wrestling at 275 pounds...was named honorable mention on Tacoma News Tribune's Northwest Nuggets team...moved ahead one year in school and he did not turn 17 years old until the spring of his senior year. "He has excellent speed and size," says Coach Garry Swanson. "He is a definite blue chipper. He has not turned 17 years old yet and when he grows into his body he will be an outstanding college football player."
