Dan Koppen
Encyclopedia
Daniel Koppen is an American football
center
for the New England Patriots
of the National Football League
(NFL). He was drafted in the fifth round of the 2003 NFL Draft
. He played college football
at Boston College
.
, but attended Whitehall High School
in Whitehall Township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley
region of the state. The school was one of 11 high schools in the highly-regarded East Penn Conference (now known as the 12-school Lehigh Valley Conference
), a high school league that has produced a number of NCAA and NFL football players. At Whitehall, Koppen was a three-sport athlete, lettering in football, basketball
, and track and field
. As a junior in football, he was a second-team all-conference selection as an offensive lineman and defensive end
. As a senior, he earned all-area, All-East Penn Conference, and all-state honors, and was named the Defensive MVP in the 1997 Kaylee Rotary Bowl. He was also a Prep Star All-American and a Big 33 selection in 1998, his senior season, recording 10 sacks on defense and scoring eight touchdowns on offense. He played in the 1998 McDonald's
Lehigh Valley All-Star Classic.
following high school, where he was a three-year starter at center after spending his freshman season in 1999 as a reserve. In 2000, Koppen closed out his sophomore season with second-team All-Big East Conference
honors. He was named to the Rimington Trophy watch list in 2001, starting every game at center and was named to the second-team All-Big East for the second consecutive season. As a senior in 2002, Koppen was a finalist for the Rimington Trophy and was named to the second-team All-Big East for the third straight season.
following college and was selected by the New England Patriots
in the fifth round with the 164th overall choice. Koppen entered the 2003
season as the backup to Pro Bowl
center Damien Woody
; however, Woody missed Week 2 with an injury, giving an opportunity for Koppen to start his first NFL game. Woody returned the next week, but a season-ending injury to starting guard Mike Compton allowed Woody to slide to the guard position and Koppen to start the remainder of the season at center, including the Patriots' Super Bowl XXXVIII
win over the Carolina Panthers
. Following the season, Woody signed with the Detroit Lions
, leaving Koppen as the Patriots' starting center. Koppen started all 16 games for the Patriots in 2004
, earning his second Super Bowl ring
in as many seasons with the Patriots' victory over the Philadelphia Eagles
in Super Bowl XXXIX
.
After starting the first nine games, Koppen's 2005 season
was derailed by a shoulder injury suffered in a November 13 game against the Miami Dolphins
. He was placed on injured reserve
following the game. In the 2006 season
, Koppen returned to his role as the Patriots' starting center. On October 12, 2006, the Patriots announced that they had signed Koppen to a five-year, $
20 million contract extension. He finished the year with all 16 starts, allowing two sacks and only committing two penalties all year.
In 2007
, Koppen missed one game due to a foot injury, but managed to start the other 15 games, not allowing a single sack and helping the Patriots to get to Super Bowl XLII
. He was selected as a starter to the 2008 Pro Bowl
, his first appearance in the game.
Koppen proceeded to start all 16 games for the next two seasons. In the 2009 season
he was a member of an offensive line that allowed the fewest sacks (18) by a Patriots offensive line since the NFL moved to a 16-game schedule in 1978
.
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick
said the following of Koppen in August 2007:
Koppen was named to the Patriots' 2000s all-decade team in 2010. The following season, Koppen started all 16 games for the Patriots.
Koppen fractured his ankle during the Week 1 matchup of the 2011 season against the Miami Dolphins
. On September 21, he was placed on injured reserve.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
center
Center (American football)
Center is a position in American football and Canadian football . The center is the innermost lineman of the offensive line on a football team's offense...
for the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
(NFL). He was drafted in the fifth round of the 2003 NFL Draft
2003 NFL Draft
The 2003 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. The draft is known officially as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting" and has been conducted annually since 1936. The draft was held April 26–27, 2003 at the Theatre at...
. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Boston College
Boston College Eagles football
The Boston College Eagles football team is the collegiate football program of Boston College. The team is a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, a Division I Bowl Subdivision league governed by the NCAA. Within the ACC, the Eagles are one of six teams in the Atlantic Division...
.
Early years
Koppen was born in Dubuque, IowaDubuque, Iowa
Dubuque is a city in and the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. In 2010 its population was 57,637, making it the ninth-largest city in the state and the county's population was 93,653....
, but attended Whitehall High School
Whitehall High School (Pennsylvania)
Whitehall High School is a public high school, based in Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania, in Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley region, in the United States. It is the only high school in the Whitehall-Coplay School District. As of the 2006-2007 academic school year, 1,393 students attend the...
in Whitehall Township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley
Lehigh Valley
The Lehigh Valley, known officially by the United States Census Bureau as the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ metropolitan area and referred to locally as The Valley and A-B-E, is a metropolitan region consisting of Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, and Carbon counties in eastern Pennsylvania and...
region of the state. The school was one of 11 high schools in the highly-regarded East Penn Conference (now known as the 12-school Lehigh Valley Conference
Lehigh Valley Conference
The Lehigh Valley Interscholastic Athletic Conference is an athletic conference consisting of 12 large high schools from Lehigh and Northampton counties in the Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania, in the United States...
), a high school league that has produced a number of NCAA and NFL football players. At Whitehall, Koppen was a three-sport athlete, lettering in football, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, and track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
. As a junior in football, he was a second-team all-conference selection as an offensive lineman and defensive end
Defensive end
Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
. As a senior, he earned all-area, All-East Penn Conference, and all-state honors, and was named the Defensive MVP in the 1997 Kaylee Rotary Bowl. He was also a Prep Star All-American and a Big 33 selection in 1998, his senior season, recording 10 sacks on defense and scoring eight touchdowns on offense. He played in the 1998 McDonald's
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
Lehigh Valley All-Star Classic.
College career
Koppen attended Boston CollegeBoston College
Boston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...
following high school, where he was a three-year starter at center after spending his freshman season in 1999 as a reserve. In 2000, Koppen closed out his sophomore season with second-team All-Big East Conference
Big East Conference
The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletics conference consisting of sixteen universities in the eastern half of the United States. The conference's 17 members participate in 24 NCAA sports...
honors. He was named to the Rimington Trophy watch list in 2001, starting every game at center and was named to the second-team All-Big East for the second consecutive season. As a senior in 2002, Koppen was a finalist for the Rimington Trophy and was named to the second-team All-Big East for the third straight season.
New England Patriots
Koppen entered the 2003 NFL Draft2003 NFL Draft
The 2003 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. The draft is known officially as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting" and has been conducted annually since 1936. The draft was held April 26–27, 2003 at the Theatre at...
following college and was selected by the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
in the fifth round with the 164th overall choice. Koppen entered the 2003
2003 New England Patriots season
The 2003 New England Patriots season was the 34th season for the team in the National Football League and 44th season overall. They finished with a league-best 14–2 record before advancing to and winning Super Bowl XXXVIII....
season as the backup to Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
center Damien Woody
Damien Woody
Damien Michael Woody is a former American football offensive lineman who played for the New England Patriots, Detroit Lions and New York Jets of the National Football League...
; however, Woody missed Week 2 with an injury, giving an opportunity for Koppen to start his first NFL game. Woody returned the next week, but a season-ending injury to starting guard Mike Compton allowed Woody to slide to the guard position and Koppen to start the remainder of the season at center, including the Patriots' Super Bowl XXXVIII
Super Bowl XXXVIII
Super Bowl XXXVIII was an American football game played on February 1, 2004 at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas to decide the National Football League champion following the 2003 regular season....
win over the Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...
. Following the season, Woody signed with the Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
, leaving Koppen as the Patriots' starting center. Koppen started all 16 games for the Patriots in 2004
2004 New England Patriots season
The 2004 New England Patriots season was the 35th season for the team in the National Football League and 45th season overall. They finished with their second straight 14–2 record before advancing to and winning Super Bowl XXXIX, their third Super Bowl victory in four years.Following a Super Bowl...
, earning his second Super Bowl ring
Super Bowl ring
The Super Bowl ring is an award in the National Football League given to the winners of the league's annual championship game, the Super Bowl...
in as many seasons with the Patriots' victory over the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
in Super Bowl XXXIX
Super Bowl XXXIX
Super Bowl XXXIX was an American football game played on February 6, 2005, at Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida, to decide the National Football League champion following the 2004 regular season...
.
After starting the first nine games, Koppen's 2005 season
2005 New England Patriots season
The 2005 New England Patriots season was the 36th season for the team in the National Football League and 46th season overall. They finished with a 10–6 record and the division title before losing in the playoffs to the Denver Broncos....
was derailed by a shoulder injury suffered in a November 13 game against the Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. He was placed on injured reserve
Injured reserve
The injured reserve list is a list of reserved players who are injured and unable to play for a period of time, used most prominently in the National Hockey League and National Football League . It is used because these leagues have a maximum number of players on the team roster, so placing a...
following the game. In the 2006 season
2006 New England Patriots season
The 2006 New England Patriots season was the 37th season for the team in the National Football League and 47th season overall. They finished with a 12–4 record and a division title before losing to the Indianapolis Colts in the playoffs....
, Koppen returned to his role as the Patriots' starting center. On October 12, 2006, the Patriots announced that they had signed Koppen to a five-year, $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
20 million contract extension. He finished the year with all 16 starts, allowing two sacks and only committing two penalties all year.
In 2007
2007 New England Patriots season
The 2007 New England Patriots season was the 38th season for the team in the National Football League and 48th season overall. They finished with a perfect 16–0 regular season record but lost to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII....
, Koppen missed one game due to a foot injury, but managed to start the other 15 games, not allowing a single sack and helping the Patriots to get to Super Bowl XLII
Super Bowl XLII
Super Bowl XLII was an American football game on February 3, 2008 that featured the National Football Conference champion New York Giants and the American Football Conference champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League champion for the 2007 season...
. He was selected as a starter to the 2008 Pro Bowl
2008 Pro Bowl
The 2008 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl was the NFL's all-star game for the 2007 season. It was played at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii on February 10, 2008. The game was televised in the United States by Fox and began shortly after 11:40am local time . The NFC won, 42–30, despite a 17-point first half AFC...
, his first appearance in the game.
Koppen proceeded to start all 16 games for the next two seasons. In the 2009 season
2009 New England Patriots season
The 2009 New England Patriots season was the 40th season for the team in the National Football League and 50th season overall. They finished with a 10–6 record and a division title before losing to the Baltimore Ravens in the playoffs....
he was a member of an offensive line that allowed the fewest sacks (18) by a Patriots offensive line since the NFL moved to a 16-game schedule in 1978
1978 NFL season
The 1978 NFL season was the 59th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded the regular season from a 14-game schedule to 16. Furthermore, the playoff format was expanded from 8 teams to 10 teams by adding another wild card from each conference...
.
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick
Bill Belichick
William Stephen "Bill" Belichick is an American football head coach for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. After spending his first 15 seasons in the league as an assistant coach, Belichick got his first head coaching job with the Cleveland Browns in 1991...
said the following of Koppen in August 2007:
Koppen was named to the Patriots' 2000s all-decade team in 2010. The following season, Koppen started all 16 games for the Patriots.
Koppen fractured his ankle during the Week 1 matchup of the 2011 season against the Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. On September 21, he was placed on injured reserve.