The making of Cooper Kupp - Los Angeles Rams receiver credits wife's inspiration for superstar turn

LOS ANGELES — Wednesday nights featured dollar beers at Rokko's Teriyaki.

That meant a hectic evening for the local eatery in the small college town of Cheney, Washington.

But Cooper Kupp, now the Los Angeles Rams' No. 1 receiver, didn't frequent the place for drinks.

After football practice, Kupp drove his white Nissan Pathfinder — often with teammates in passenger seats hoping their ride wouldn't experience one of its infamous breakdowns — across the Eastern Washington campus from the red-turf Roos Field to the restaurant, where a special someone would be expecting him.

Behind the cash register or serving orders in Styrofoam containers, his wife, Anna Kupp, worked her first job.

«I supported us monetarily through college,» Anna said, laughing, almost in disbelief she pulled it off. «I was working full time so that he didn't have to worry about that, so that he could focus.»

Cooper's goals pertained to football, and he discovered after a summer of morning workouts followed by an afternoon landscaping gig that he felt exhausted when the season rolled around.

Football, along with school, had to be his full-time job. Anna supported and sacrificed, while also attending college, in every way she could.

«Without a doubt, there's no doubt in my mind, not only would I not be here where I am today without her or accomplishing the things that I would be doing,» Kupp said. «I really believe I may not be in this — I may not be in the NFL if it wasn't for her and what she has inspired in me and pushed me to do.»

Kupp's extended family, Anna and Cooper Jamison — one of the couple's two young sons — cheered on Kupp from a suite at SoFi Stadium as the Rams dominated the Arizona Cardinals in a wild-card round of the playoffs. The Rams