WVU Sports Hall of Fame

Inducted: 2015

Written by Bryan Messerly

Ken Herock lettered three seasons as a tight end and linebacker for the Mountaineers from 1960-62.

For his career, he finished with 24 catches for 292 yards and two touchdowns, including 14 catches for 174 yards and a touchdown as a senior. On defense, Herock finished with 109 career tackles, including 60 solo stops.

His best game on offense took place against Oregon State on Oct. 27, 1962, when he registered career highs in receptions (5) and receiving yards (80). Herock earned All-Southern Conference honors as a tight end and linebacker.

WVU went winless during his sophomore year in 1960 and two years later, WVU won eight games, including WVU’s first-ever victory at Syracuse’s Archibald Stadium.

Herock has been in professional football for more than 38 years. He had a six- year pro career as a player, spending time with the Oakland Raiders (1963-67), who he helped win the 1976 Super Bowl, the Cincinnati Bengals (1968) and the Boston Patriots (1969). Herock was the first Mountaineer to play in a Super Bowl.

Following his playing career, he has been respected throughout the NFL for his expertise as a talent hunter and administrator. Herock has been a scout, coach, personnel director and general manager in the NFL. He has also served on the College Relations Board for the NFL.

Herock was named the Oakland Raiders director of player personnel in 1975. In 1976, he became the first director of player personnel for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Within three years, he helped build the Bucs into a playoff contender, reaching the NFC Championship in 1979. Herock remained with Tampa Bay through 1984 and was responsible for supervising the first scouting combine, which eventually evolved into the Indianapolis National Invitation Camp.

He returned to the Raiders from 1984-86 before he was named the director of player personnel for Atlanta in 1987. Herock then became the team’s vice president of player personnel a year later, a position he held through the 1996 season. While he was in Atlanta, the Falcons drafted Brett Favre in the second round of the 1991 NFL Draft.
Herock returned to the Raiders for a third time in 1997, leaving Oakland following the 1998 season. Herock joined the Green Bay Packers and was named vice president of personnel where he remained until 2001. In 2002, Herock established Pro Prep, a service which prepares future professional prospects for the National Football League.

A native of Munhall, Pennsylvania, Herock is a member of the WVU College of Physical Activity and Sports Sciences Hall of Fame, the Western Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame and the Pennsylvania State Hall of Fame.

Herock and his wife, Barry, now live in Gainesville, Georgia. They have two sons and five grandchildren.