Column: Homecoming won't be the same without Coach Koch

Valparaiso football legend passed away last month

The memory is as clear to me today as it was the first time I experienced it. And the second time. And the fifth. And every time after that.

I’m walking through the halls of the Athletics-Recreation Center. Or sitting in the Brown Field press box. Or spending time in the Schrage Basketball Wing.

I’m not alone.

Joining me in this memory is a man who wears the look of someone who has seen it all at Valparaiso University. He walks slowly through the halls. Mutters under his breath in the press box. Shares a story or two in the basketball wing.

I ask the man how he’s doing. While wearing a colorful sweater and beneath his trademark hat, he cracks a smile. His mouth opens ever so slightly and he gives his answer.

If you ever had the pleasure of meeting Bill Koch, you know what he’s about to say.