[1] Koch (pronounced "Cook") was born in Charleston, Illinois, and spent his youth in Indianapolis before attending Northwestern University.
It was this association that brought him to the attention of Mad when some of the show's scripts were reproduced in the magazine with caricatures of the star duo drawn by Mort Drucker.
Mad eventually published ten Bob & Ray articles in the space of a year and a half, but Koch went on to write more than 300 other pieces for the magazine between 1958 and 1995 on a variety of subjects.
Like many radio performers, Bob and Ray did not credit their writers; Elliott later wrote, "I feel we didn’t give him a real shake that he should have had."
While Koch was working for Monitor, he was assigned to write short sketches for Fibber McGee and Molly, which aired regularly in five-minute segments between 1957 and 1959.
"He was such a polished writer, a very literate craftsman with a far-ranging wit that ran the gamut from hilarious absurdity to wry, brilliant commentary...
The absurdist article detailed the convoluted rules of an imaginary sport, and made enough of an impression to be mentioned in both men's New York Times obituaries, including the first sentence of Koch's.
[4] In the article, new terminology is introduced with no explanation; much of the humor derives from the reader's half-successful attempts at gleaning a meaning from context.
Exactly what everyone on the team is supposed to do, exactly what penalties apply, and exactly when or why the "yellow caution flag" is to be flown remains far from clear, even after repeated readings.
They pursue the Pritz (or ball), which is 3+3⁄4 inches in diameter, constructed from untreated ibex hide, and is stuffed with blue jay feathers.
Each player is equipped with a Frullip, a long hooked stick very similar in appearance to a shepherd's crook that is used to impede opponents.
Before any game, the Probate Judge must first flip a coin, usually a new Spanish peseta, while the Visiting Captain guesses the toss.
Penalties are applied for infractions such as walling the Pritz, icing on fifth snivel, running with the mob, rushing the season, inability to face facts, or sending the Dummy home early.
There is a brief reference to 43-Man Squamish as a Trivial Pursuit question in the "Weird Al" Yankovic video "White and Nerdy" (2006).
In Endymion, by Dan Simmons, the narrator describes himself dodging pursuers "like a deep brooder on a forty-three man squamish team herding the goat in for the goal."