WHEREAS, Cooper Kupp was born and raised in Yakima, and is the son of former Pacific Lutheran University and National Football League quarterback Craig Kupp and is the grandson of former NFL offensive lineman Jake Kupp; and

WHEREAS, Cooper Kupp played football at Davis High School in Yakima, earning class 4A all-state honors as a defensive back and state honorable-mention honors as a receiver in his senior year, and later helped lead the Davis Pirates to the state 4A title in boys' basketball as a senior; and

WHEREAS, Cooper Kupp received only two scholarship offers to play college football – one from Idaho State University and the other from Eastern Washington University; and

WHEREAS, Cooper Kupp chose to play football for Eastern Washington University, finishing his college career with 428 receptions, 6,464 yards, and 73 touchdowns, setting NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision career records for receptions, receiving yards, and touchdown receptions; and

WHEREAS, Cooper Kupp was a two-time Big Sky Conference Offensive Player of the Year and a four-time first-team FCS All-American; and

WHEREAS, Cooper Kupp won the 2013 Jerry Rice Award, given to the top freshman in FCS football, and he would later share with Rice the distinction of being the only receivers in league history to win a triple crown (catches, yards, and touchdowns), earn offensive player of the year honors, and win the Super Bowl MVP (Kupp did it in the 2021-22 season alone); and

WHEREAS, Cooper Kupp was a two-time offensive player of the year in FCS, and won the Walter Payton Award in 2015; and

WHEREAS, Cooper Kupp was a four-time Academic All-America selection, a two-time member of the FCS ADA Academic All-Star Team, and a four-time recipient of Big Sky Conference All-Academic honors; and

WHEREAS, Cooper Kupp was drafted in the third round of the 2017 National Football League draft by the Los Angeles Rams, who chose Kupp with the 69th overall pick in that year's draft; and

WHEREAS, Cooper Kupp became a starter during his rookie season, finishing 2017 with 62 receptions for 869 yards and five touchdowns; and

WHEREAS, Cooper Kupp rebounded from a season-ending knee injury in 2018 to finish the 2019 season with 94 catches for 1,161 yards and 10 touchdowns, all NFL career highs for him up to that point; and

WHEREAS, Cooper Kupp had one of the greatest seasons for a receiver in NFL history in 2021, finishing with 145 receptions, second most in a season in NFL history; 1,947 receiving yards, also second most in a season in NFL history; and 16 receiving touchdowns, leading the league in all three categories and earning first-team All-Pro honors; and

WHEREAS, Cooper Kupp continued his excellent and historic performance in the playoffs, with 33 receptions for 478 yards and six touchdowns in four games, including the game-winning reception late in the fourth quarter of the Rams' 23-20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl 56, in which Kupp was named Most Valuable Player;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington State Senate honor and congratulate Yakima native Cooper Kupp on his outstanding play first at Eastern Washington University, and now as a NFL player with the Los Angeles Rams, even if they are a rival of our beloved Seattle Seahawks; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Washington State Senate recognize Cooper Kupp for his impressive work ethic as a pro football player and his enduring humility.