Monday, I had a chance to catch up with former Indianapolis Colts head coach and current NBC Football Night in America NFL analyst, Tony Dungy. To see the interview, click below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhShy24yl6I
For live updates from the Super Bowl, follow @Steve_Copeland on Twitter all week long!
Capping an incredible, historic 2021-22 season, Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp was named Super Bowl MVP on Sunday night, after he helped his squad to a 23-20 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.
>> Subscribe to Sports Spectrum Magazine for more stories where sports and faith connect <<
He finished with eight receptions for 92 yards and two touchdowns, and none was more important than the game-winning touchdown catch with 1:25 remaining.
IT'S BEEN COOPER KUPP ALL YEAR.
HE DOES IT AGAIN. #RamsHouse
📺: #SBLVI on NBC
📱: https://t.co/K02y40b5Nu pic.twitter.com/02QlsZmirX— NFL (@NFL) February 14, 2022
He even ran the ball once for seven yards on the final drive to convert a fourth-and-1 from their own 30-yard line. Kupp is the eighth wide receiver to be named Super Bowl MVP and the first since New England wideout Julian Edleman three years ago in Super Bowl LIII.
When interviewed on the field after the game, Kupp gave glory to God.
“It just comes down to this team, how we’ve prepared, the way we’ve loved on each other, trusted each other,” he said. “I don’t know, I don’t feel deserving of this. God is just so good. I’m just so thankful for the guys I get to be around, for the coaches, for my family.”
“I just don’t feel deserving of this. God is just so good.”
Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp recognizes God’s goodness. #SuperBowl
🎥 @NFL https://t.co/UIsWyofjfS pic.twitter.com/okGBFUNyQs
— Sports Spectrum (@Sports_Spectrum) February 14, 2022
Following the Lombardi Trophy and Super Bowl MVP presentation, Kupp was able to enjoy the moment on the field with his family — wife Anna, and sons Cooper and Cypress. He then spoke to the media with 1-year-old Cypress on his lap.
And Kupp shared a vision he says God revealed to him three years ago as he was walking off the field after the Rams lost Super Bowl LIII, which he was unable to play in due to a torn ACL.
“In 2019 we walked off the field that last time after losing to the Patriots; I wasn’t able to be a part of that thing,” he said. “But I don’t know what it was, there was just this vision God revealed to me that we were going to come back, we were going to be part of a Super Bowl, we were going to win it, and somehow I was going to walk off the field as the MVP of the game.
“I shared that with my wife because I couldn’t tell anyone else obviously what that was, but from the moment this postseason started, there was just a belief every game that it was written already. It was written already and I just got to play free knowing that I got to play from victory, not for victory. I got to play in a place where I was validated not from anything that happened on the field but because of my worth in God and my Father.”
“There was just this vision that God revealed to me…”
After winning Super Bowl MVP, Cooper Kupp reveals a vision he received from God three years ago after the Rams lost Super Bowl LIII.@CooperKupp @RamsNFL #SuperBowl https://t.co/oydVm3TbUN pic.twitter.com/bZrmjE2cEP
— Sports Spectrum (@Sports_Spectrum) February 14, 2022
Kupp continued on to reiterate that he felt undeserving of such an honor because of all the players and coaches who have helped him. He said all those he’s been able to play with this year have been “the perfect team, the perfect setup.” He was then asked how the vision was revealed to him.
“It was just walking off the field. It was as clear as day,” he said. “I walked off the field, I turned around before walking back through the tunnel and it just hit me. It was as clear as I can see you guys here right now. Pretty incredible.”
After being named NFL Offensive Player of the Year on Thursday, Kupp now joins Hall of Famer Joe Montana (1989) as the only players to win OPOY and Super Bowl MVP in the same season. Furthermore, Kupp’s eight catches gave him 33 for the postseason, setting a new record for most receptions in a single postseason. And his 478 receiving yards this postseason trail only Larry Fitzgerald (546 yards in 2008) for the most in a single playoffs.
The stellar postseason comes after Kupp won the receiving triple crown by nearly rewriting the NFL record book with 145 catches, 1,947 yards and 16 receiving touchdowns in the regular season. He was up for NFL MVP, but that went to Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers — though Kupp did become the first wideout to receive a MVP vote since 1998. All told, in 17 regular-season games and four playoff games, Kupp collected 178 catches, 2,425 receiving yards (the first receiver ever to go over 2,000 yards) and 22 touchdowns this season.
Also, according to ESPN, Kupp joins Jerry Rice as the only other receiver in NFL history to win the receiving triple crown, the Offensive Player of the Year award and the Super Bowl MVP in an entire career — yet Kupp did it in a single season.
Earlier this week when speaking to the media, the 28-year-old had no problem identifying his major takeaway from an unforgettable year, and he pointed to his faith in Christ on multiple occasions.
“I think the thing that He has taught me is that you will find that you are most fulfilled, you will find the most joy, when you are rooted in your purpose, and specifically rooted in His purpose for you,” Kupp said. “That, to me, has been one of the best things about this year.”
Unsurprisingly, he was named a first-team All-Pro and made the Pro Bowl, the first time he received either recognition. All of the numbers are a result of Kupp’s main focus, which is giving glory to the Lord.
“My motivation coming in every single day is to run the race in such a way as to honor God and the passions and the talents that He’s given me,” Kupp said. “When I’m rooted in that, I am in a great place. I am able to play freely.”
One Kupp’s favorite Bible passages is 1 Corinthians 9:24-25, which says, “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.”
After winning the Super Bowl and being crowned MVP, Kupp posted on social media, “Do it to get a crown that will last forever.”
RELATED STORIES:
– Rams WR Cooper Kupp finds ultimate purpose in honoring God on journey to SB
– Cooper Kupp’s wife Anna: ‘We have prayed for a season to glorify our Savior Jesus Christ’
– Faith-fueled Cooper Kupp, 1st 2,000-yard WR, delivers again as Rams reach Super Bowl
– WATCH: L.A. Rams players share about their faith in Christ ahead of Super Bowl
– WATCH: Bengals players & coaches share about faith in Christ ahead of Super Bowl
– Walter Payton Man of the Year, Rams lineman Andrew Whitworth guided by faith
– Rams RB Sony Michel sets out to ‘glorify God’ no matter the circumstances
– Bengals CB Chidobe Awuzie rests in Christ before SB: ‘Whoever has God, lacks nothing’
– Rams TE Kendall Blanton could get Super Bowl start: ‘All this is orchestrated by God’
– Rams DB Jalen Ramsey says he’s ‘nothing’ without his ‘Lord & Savior Jesus Christ’
– Bengals DE Trey Hendrickson ahead of SB: ‘Anything I do on the field is to glorify Him’
– Bengals kicker Evan McPherson says he ‘can’t compete my best’ without God
– Odell Beckham Jr. doesn’t see how him getting to Super Bowl ‘is possible without God’
– Former LB Vincent Rey right in God’s will as team chaplain for Super Bowl-bound Bengals
– Rams chaplain Kevin Nickerson focused on relationships, wilderness during journey to SB
– Bengals head coach Zac Taylor: Priorities are faith, family, friends & football, ‘in that order’
– Bengals’ Michael Thomas goes from unsigned to Super Bowl: ‘God’s plans are greater’
– Rams punter Johnny Hekker knows ‘God is on the throne’ as he pursues Super Bowl title
– DE Trey Hendrickson thankful for his ‘Lord & Savior’ as he leads Bengals to Super Bowl
– WATCH: ‘Weekly Slant’ Super Bowl Edition w/ Dan Orlovsky, Nick Foles & Bill Curry
– Rams backup TE Kendall Blanton steps up big, thanks God as L.A. heads to Super Bowl
– ‘God is Good’: Kicker Evan McPherson sends Bengals to first Super Bowl since 1988
“You will find your most joy when you are rooted in your purpose, and specifically rooted in His purpose for you.”
Leading up to Super Bowl LVI, numerous players on the L.A. Rams shared about their faith in Christ.
>> Subscribe to Sports Spectrum Magazine for more stories where sports and faith connect <<
RELATED STORIES:
– Walter Payton Man of the Year, Rams lineman Andrew Whitworth guided by faith
– Rams RB Sony Michel sets out to ‘glorify God’ no matter the circumstances
– Bengals CB Chidobe Awuzie rests in Christ before SB: ‘Whoever has God, lacks nothing’
– Rams TE Kendall Blanton could get Super Bowl start: ‘All this is orchestrated by God’
– Rams DB Jalen Ramsey says he’s ‘nothing’ without his ‘Lord & Savior Jesus Christ’
– Bengals DE Trey Hendrickson ahead of SB: ‘Anything I do on the field is to glorify Him’
– Rams WR Cooper Kupp finds ultimate purpose in honoring God on journey to SB
– Bengals kicker Evan McPherson says he ‘can’t compete my best’ without God
– Odell Beckham Jr. doesn’t see how him getting to Super Bowl ‘is possible without God’
– Former LB Vincent Rey right in God’s will as team chaplain for Super Bowl-bound Bengals
– Rams chaplain Kevin Nickerson focused on relationships, wilderness during journey to SB
– Bengals head coach Zac Taylor: Priorities are faith, family, friends & football, ‘in that order’
– Bengals’ Michael Thomas goes from unsigned to Super Bowl: ‘God’s plans are greater’
– Rams punter Johnny Hekker knows ‘God is on the throne’ as he pursues Super Bowl title
– DE Trey Hendrickson thankful for his ‘Lord & Savior’ as he leads Bengals to Super Bowl
– WATCH: ‘Weekly Slant’ Super Bowl Edition w/ Dan Orlovsky, Nick Foles & Bill Curry
– Cooper Kupp’s wife Anna: ‘We have prayed for a season to glorify our Savior Jesus Christ’
– Faith-fueled Cooper Kupp, 1st 2,000-yard WR, delivers again as Rams reach Super Bowl
– Rams backup TE Kendall Blanton steps up big, thanks God as L.A. heads to Super Bowl
– ‘God is Good’: Kicker Evan McPherson sends Bengals to first Super Bowl since 1988
“In everything I do, I treat football like a platform to open eyes to the faith of Christianity and accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior.”
Leading up to Super Bowl LVI, numerous players and coaches on the Cincinnati Bengals shared about their faith in Christ.
>> Subscribe to Sports Spectrum Magazine for more stories where sports and faith connect <<
RELATED STORIES:
– Walter Payton Man of the Year, Rams lineman Andrew Whitworth guided by faith
– Rams RB Sony Michel sets out to ‘glorify God’ no matter the circumstances
– Bengals CB Chidobe Awuzie rests in Christ before SB: ‘Whoever has God, lacks nothing’
– Rams TE Kendall Blanton could get Super Bowl start: ‘All this is orchestrated by God’
– Rams DB Jalen Ramsey says he’s ‘nothing’ without his ‘Lord & Savior Jesus Christ’
– Bengals DE Trey Hendrickson ahead of SB: ‘Anything I do on the field is to glorify Him’
– Rams WR Cooper Kupp finds ultimate purpose in honoring God on journey to SB
– Bengals kicker Evan McPherson says he ‘can’t compete my best’ without God
– Odell Beckham Jr. doesn’t see how him getting to Super Bowl ‘is possible without God’
– Former LB Vincent Rey right in God’s will as team chaplain for Super Bowl-bound Bengals
– Rams chaplain Kevin Nickerson focused on relationships, wilderness during journey to SB
– Bengals head coach Zac Taylor: Priorities are faith, family, friends & football, ‘in that order’
– Bengals’ Michael Thomas goes from unsigned to Super Bowl: ‘God’s plans are greater’
– Rams punter Johnny Hekker knows ‘God is on the throne’ as he pursues Super Bowl title
– DE Trey Hendrickson thankful for his ‘Lord & Savior’ as he leads Bengals to Super Bowl
– WATCH: ‘Weekly Slant’ Super Bowl Edition w/ Dan Orlovsky, Nick Foles & Bill Curry
– Cooper Kupp’s wife Anna: ‘We have prayed for a season to glorify our Savior Jesus Christ’
– Faith-fueled Cooper Kupp, 1st 2,000-yard WR, delivers again as Rams reach Super Bowl
– Rams backup TE Kendall Blanton steps up big, thanks God as L.A. heads to Super Bowl
– ‘God is Good’: Kicker Evan McPherson sends Bengals to first Super Bowl since 1988
He’s never known when the moments were going to present themselves, but Los Angeles Rams offensive lineman Andrew Whitworth has always wanted to make sure he was available when they did.
>> Subscribe to Sports Spectrum Magazine for more stories where sports and faith connect <<
That was his message to the audience on Thursday night as he accepted the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, given annually to an NFL player whose excellence on the field is matched with excellence in volunteer and charity work.
Throughout his 16-year career between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Rams, Whitworth has poured into the communities he’s played in, as well as those back in his home state of Louisiana through a variety of charitable efforts.
“The greatest thing I can give to anyone is for them to genuinely know that I truly care about them,” Whitworth said during a video presentation at the awards ceremony. “You live life loving people, and caring about people, and meeting them where they are. Then you try to help them get to that next step.”
Big fans of Big Whit. pic.twitter.com/4hYpQ2MK31
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) February 11, 2022
Since he entered the league in 2006, Whitworth has given millions of dollars and countless hours to charitable and relief efforts, like the Boys and Girls Club and programs that support veterans. In 2020, he partnered with organizations to bring awareness and support to social justice causes and also donated to help children’s literacy programs and children fighting life-threatening illnesses.
In 2017, he surprised 550 kids with bikes and helmets. More recently, he launched the “Big Whit Homes for L.A. Families” fund, in which he donated $20,000 to help the homeless population in L.A. as well as those affected by Hurricane Ida in Louisiana. He even went as far as to help affected families with down payments on their new homes.
During a Super Bowl LVI media session earlier this week, Whitworth talked about how his faith guides him and shapes his perspective on how he approaches his life. At times early in his career, he was tempted to bask in the glory that his platform brought him. His advice to younger players was to instead adopt a heart for others first.
“That helps you chase whoever it is that you want to be and what you see [as] the plan that God’s really laid out for you in your life. I think that sometimes it’s beneficial — I know in my career, I’ve always thought if I was signing an extension or making a move that I think’s going to benefit me and the family, I think I always felt like, ‘All right, that means something I’m doing in the community is about to go up a whole other level. Something I’m doing for other people is about to go up a whole other level, too. It’s not just about, ‘Oh, I get to have nicer things.'”
The moment that brought it all together for him, Whitworth said during his acceptance speech, was when Detroit Lions linebacker Derrick Barnes sought him out after a game earlier this season to thank him for pouring into him years ago, when Whitworth was with the Bengals and Barnes was a young kid in the Cincinnati area. He made it to the NFL, and he wanted “Big Whit” to know.
"I made it. I made it to the NFL, Big Whit."
An unbelievable moment during Andrew Whitworth's Walter Payton Man of the Year acceptance speech. | 📺 ABC/NFL Network pic.twitter.com/YS8fScKQbZ
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) February 11, 2022
Whitworth is the oldest tackle in NFL history, will be the oldest offensive lineman ever to start in a Super Bowl, and Sunday’s game could be the last for the 40-year-old. He’s back this year after sitting out seven games last season due to a torn MCL and a damaged PCL. After the injury, Whitworth thanked God for blessing him with 15 years in the NFL and was thankful for “an opportunity to lead in a different way.”
He said this week that through that injury, God taught him about patience, perseverance and relying on Him through it all.
“I think, really, I was just blessed with an opportunity to have that patience and realize that if I just keep persevering, being strong, and trying to realize that at the end of the day, if I just stick with the process and trust that all that is in His hands, then I would be OK,” Whitworth said during the media session. “I think that’s one of the greatest lessons I’ve learned.”
Sunday’s game will be a special one for him, he said, and perhaps a fitting end to his career if that’s what it ends up as. Memories like the one with Barnes have filled his years with both the Bengals and the Rams, and he’s excited to face off against his old team (6:30 p.m. ET Sunday).
“It’s a really special week for me, to be playing a franchise that I invested so much time in for 11 years, and not only that, but a city that my family and I were invested in supporting and being a part of the community,” he said. “As I’ve said multiple times, it was a place that we knew every restaurant we went to, every store we walked in, we knew everybody by name. They were a family. It’s a place that we are very dear to and we will follow and be fans of forever.
“For me, this week couldn’t be more special to have both franchises that we’ve poured our heart and souls into to be playing each other in the Super Bowl. It’s just unbelievable. It’s hard to put into words how cool it is.”
Whether it’s his final game or not won’t change anything about how he lives his life or pours into others, his wife, Melissa, said during the Man of the Year video presentation.
“He’s been doing this his entire life, and it won’t stop when he retires,” she said. “This is, like, a life mission. It’s just who he is.”
RELATED STORIES:
– Rams RB Sony Michel sets out to ‘glorify God’ no matter the circumstances
– Bengals CB Chidobe Awuzie rests in Christ before SB: ‘Whoever has God, lacks nothing’
– Rams TE Kendall Blanton could get Super Bowl start: ‘All this is orchestrated by God’
– Rams DB Jalen Ramsey says he’s ‘nothing’ without his ‘Lord & Savior Jesus Christ’
– Bengals DE Trey Hendrickson ahead of SB: ‘Anything I do on the field is to glorify Him’
– Rams WR Cooper Kupp finds ultimate purpose in honoring God on journey to SB
– Bengals kicker Evan McPherson says he ‘can’t compete my best’ without God
– Odell Beckham Jr. doesn’t see how him getting to Super Bowl ‘is possible without God’
– Former LB Vincent Rey right in God’s will as team chaplain for Super Bowl-bound Bengals
– Rams chaplain Kevin Nickerson focused on relationships, wilderness during journey to SB
– Bengals head coach Zac Taylor: Priorities are faith, family, friends & football, ‘in that order’
– Bengals’ Michael Thomas goes from unsigned to Super Bowl: ‘God’s plans are greater’
– Rams punter Johnny Hekker knows ‘God is on the throne’ as he pursues Super Bowl title
– DE Trey Hendrickson thankful for his ‘Lord & Savior’ as he leads Bengals to Super Bowl
– WATCH: ‘Weekly Slant’ Super Bowl Edition w/ Dan Orlovsky, Nick Foles & Bill Curry
– Cooper Kupp’s wife Anna: ‘We have prayed for a season to glorify our Savior Jesus Christ’
– Faith-fueled Cooper Kupp, 1st 2,000-yard WR, delivers again as Rams reach Super Bowl
– Rams backup TE Kendall Blanton steps up big, thanks God as L.A. heads to Super Bowl
– ‘God is Good’: Kicker Evan McPherson sends Bengals to first Super Bowl since 1988
