NFL Legend And Local Leader Jake Kupp Honored With 2025 WASA Community Leadership Award -05/19/25
NFL Legend and Local Leader Jake Kupp Honored with 2025 WASA Community Leadership Award
Yakima, WA — The Yakima School District is proud to announce that Mr. Jake Kupp has been honored with the 2025 Community Leadership Award by the Washington Association of School Administrators (WASA). Kupp, a former NFL Pro Bowler and the patriarch of one of professional football’s rare three-generation families, received the award for his visionary and compassionate work to support students and families in the Yakima Valley.
While nationally recognized for his football legacy—Jake, his son Craig, and grandson Cooper Kupp are one of only five families in professional football history with three generations in the NFL—his most enduring contribution may be the generational good he is building off the field in Yakima.
“This award recognizes those who lead with purpose, build lasting partnerships, and make a measurable difference in the lives of students and families,” said Dr. Trevor Greene, Superintendent of Yakima School District. “Jake has done exactly that—through vision, humility, and heart.”
Several years ago, Kupp initiated a conversation with district leaders on how schools and faith communities might partner to support students—not for recognition, and never with strings attached—but in the spirit of connection and care. Working closely with Executive Director of Student Services Omar Santoy, Kupp helped design what would become the YSD Faith-Based Initiative, now in place, involving over 30 churches, across all 23 schools in the district.
The initiative pairs church congregations and faith leaders with each school site, creating a structure in which community partners meet three times a year with school principals and the superintendent. Their shared goal: to identify student and family needs, and respond through efforts like food drives, mentorship, and community-based support.
“Jake would be the first to shift credit elsewhere,” said Greene. “But let me be clear—none of this would exist without his vision and can-do spirit. He dared to believe that faith and public education could come together in service of something bigger than either—our students.”
Kupp’s quiet, consistent leadership has touched the lives of hundreds of families across Yakima. His legacy, both on and off the field, continues to inspire a spirit of service and partnership across generations.
