Father Harry wrote Bundesliga history with Kaiserslautern

German champion than promoted

Father of DFB star wrote Bundesliga history

Robin Koch wants to cause a sensation with Eintracht Frankfurt next season in the Champions League. His father also once played in the premier class – and has a bit ahead of his Filius.

Robin’s father Harry Koch is not entirely uninvolved in this development. He was also a professional and gave his son the talent and one or two important advice on their way to the top athlete.

Harry Koch comes from Bamberg and was classic in amateur football for a long time – including the regional league team TSV Vestenbergsgreuth at the time. It was only at the age of 26 that the trained bricklayer switched to the second division club at the time 1. FC Kaiserslautern. That was in 1995. What followed was a career like from the textbook for late starters.

With the “red devils”, Koch had to cope with the first descent to the 2nd Bundesliga in his first season, but won the DFB Cup in 1996. A few months later, son Robin was born in Kaiserslautern.

The following year, Koch senior managed the direct return with the Palatures – and wrote history: in 1998 the promoted with a cook became a German champion. It was the first and the only championship title of a Bundesliga newcomer.

In the following season he was allowed to sniff the FCK Champions League air, stood on the pitch for all eight games and only failed in the quarterfinals on the league rivals and later finalists FC Bayern (0: 2 and 0: 4).

Koch quickly became a crowd favorite on Betzenberg, made a name for himself as a uncompromising, top header defender and as a safe penalty shooter. The man scored eight of his 17 Bundesliga hits from the point with the waving curly splendor. He only missed one of his 15 penalty at profiz pages.

The central defender played a total of 187 Bundesliga games (17 goals) for Kaiserslautern. Later he ended his career at the then second division team Eintracht Trier, with whom he relegated to the regional league in 2005.

A year later, Koch ended his career and then became a coach at Amateur Association SV Dörbach. The 55-year-old no longer moved to the big football stage after his career. He prefers to watch his son, whom he still has a championship title and a cup victory ahead.

That is why Robin envies him how he confessed in a “FAZ” interview in 2024: “My father played for a long time at the FCK, won titles. This is only possible. If I could choose something for my career, it would be to win titles.”