[2][3] He earned All-Laurel Conference honors as a fullback and was also named the York County Interscholastic League defensive back of the year.

[2] Koontz played college football for the Catawba Indians from 1964 to 1967 as a two-way player.

[2] Koontz led the Carolinas Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (CIAC) in tackles for three straight seasons.

[4] He suffered a cracked helmet, a broken nose, multiple wrist bone fractures, and an aggravated hamstring after being blindsided on a punt against the Miami Dolphins.

[8] Koontz was later a member of the Quincy Giants of the Atlantic Coast Football League (ACFL) in 1969.