Next year when he returns for his senior season, Cooper Kupp hopes to take home a different type of trophy from Frisco, Texas.

The sensational Eastern Washington University junior wide receiver won his third NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Offensive Player of the Year honor Friday night (Jan. 8) in Frisco, Texas, when his name was read among three finalists at the inaugural STATS FCS Awards Banquet and Presentations.

The record-breaking offensive juggernaut edged a pair of running backs – Marshaun Coprich from Illinois State and Kade Harrington from Lamar. Kupp received 34 first-place votes and 378 total to win by narrow margin. Harrington had 349 votes and was picked first on 26 ballots, and Coprich finished with 275 votes and 23 first-place votes.

"Obviously it's a great honor, especially to be in the final three with this group of great players," said Kupp. "When your name is called for an honor like this you are humbled -- it wasn't something I ever imagined happening. Coprich and Harrington had incredible years and that makes this an incredible honor."

A national panel of 150 sports information and media relations directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries voted for the STATS FCS Offensive Player of the Year, selecting the top three among 25 finalists. Their voting reflected the regular season and was conducted before the start of the playoffs.

"To be recognized in this regard is a by-product of the incredible work ethic he's had since he arrived here," said Eastern head coach Beau Baldwin of his three-time consensus FCS All-American. "His mental toughness is what it comes down to. There are a lot of talented players in this country, but only a few who have the drive, desire, mindset and will at the same level as Cooper. For him to be in this position to receive all these accolades is 100 percent earned."

On the eve of the championship game in which the Eagles hope to play next season, Kupp and nine of his family members were in attendance at the banquet. Eastern athletic director Bill Chaves was also there on behalf of Kupp.

 "Having my family here to enjoy the honor was special," Kupp said. "STATS put together a great banquet and presentation."

Two days ago, Kupp was honored as the Offensive Player of the Year by the FCS Athletic Director's Association. Kupp and Defensive Player of the Year James Cowser from Southern Utah will receive those awards from FCS ADA President and Idaho State athletic director Jeff Tingey between the first and second quarters at Saturday's NCAA Division I Championship Game in Frisco, Texas. The game between four-time defending champion North Dakota State and top-ranked Jacksonville State is being televised on ESPN2 at 9 a.m. Pacific time.

"Next time I want to be in Frisco with our team," he added. "I would trade this for a chance to play for a national championship with my teammates."

Previously, Kupp was selected as the Walter Payton Award winner for 2015 as selected by Mickey Charles LLC of www.FCSAwards.com. The awards program for the NCAA Football Championship was founded by Charles and The Sports Network, and is now in its 29th year. But The Sports Network ceased operation in summer of 2015, and the Walter Payton Award and other awards are now independently presented by Mickey Charles LLC.

Kupp's name is added to an illustrious list of Player of the Year recipients from Eastern, including four previous recipients of FCS Football's highest honors. Bo Levi Mitchell won the Payton Award in 2011 and Erik Meyer won in 2005. Greg Peach (2008) and J.C. Sherritt (2010) have previously won the Buck Buchanan Award presented to the top defensive player in FCS. A total of eight players from the Big Sky Conference have now won the Payton Award.

It was an illustrious night for the Big Sky Conference, with the three finalists for the FCS Defensive Player of the Year all coming from the league. Ends James Cowser of Southern Utah and Tyrone Holmes of Montana and Portland State free safety Patrick Onwuasor – were on hand for the unveiling of the award, which was won by Holmes.

FCS Freshman of the Year Case Cookus of Northern Arizona, FCS Coach of the Year Bruce Barnum of Portland State and Jacksonville State's Dalton Screws, the inaugural Doris & Eddie Robinson FCS Scholar-Athlete of the Year, were also feted with their previously-announced awards. Barnum is a 1987 graduate of Eastern.

"Being here with so many of the competitors we went up against and reminiscing with them really made this a special time," added Kupp. "The Big Sky Conference has put out some great players and consistently has top-level talent. It really showed in having the three finalists for defensive player of the year – they all had great years and it was very cool having them all here."
 
 
EWU Player of the Year Awards
2015 – Cooper Kupp, FCS Offensive Player of the Year (STATS)
2015 – Cooper Kupp, FCS Offensive Player of the Year (FCS Athletic Director's Association)
2015 – Cooper Kupp, Walter Payton Award (Mickey Charles LLC)
2015 – Cooper Kupp, Wide Receiver of the Year (FCS Athletic Director's Association)
2013 - Vernon Adams Jr., FCS Performer of the Year (College FB Performance Awards)
2013 - Cooper Kupp, Jerry Rice Award (The Sports Network)
2013 - Cooper Kupp, FCS Wide Receiver Award (College FB Performance Awards)
2013 - Cooper Kupp, Freshman of the Year (College Sporting News)
2013 - Cooper Kupp, Freshman of the Year (College Sports Journal)
2013 - Cooper Kupp, Freshman of the Year (Col. Sports Madness)
2013 - Cooper Kupp, Freshman of the Year (Phil Steele Pub.)
2012 - Vernon Adams Jr., Fresh. of the Year (Col. Sporting News)
2012 - Brandon Kaufman, Wide Receiver Award (College FB Performance Awards)
2011 - Bo Levi Mitchell, Walter Payton Award (The Sports Network)
2011 - Bo Levi Mitchell, Elite Quarterback Award (College Football Performance Awards)
2010 - J.C. Sherritt, Buck Buchanan Award (The Sports Network)
2010 - J.C. Sherritt, Defensive Player of the Year Award (College Sporting News)
2010 - Taiwan Jones, FCS Offensive Player of the Year (Phil Steele Publications)
2010 - Taiwan Jones, FCS Running Back of the Year (College Football Performance Awards)
2008 - Greg Peach, Buck Buchanan Award (The Sports Network)
2005 - Erik Meyer, Walter Payton Award (The Sports Network)
2005 - Erik Meyer, Offensive Player of the Year (I-AA.Org)
2005 - Erik Meyer, Offensive Back of the Year (Football Gazette)
2004 - Michael Roos, Lineman of the Year (I-AA.Org)
2001 - Jesse Chatman, Off. Back of the Year (Football Gazette)
1998 - Bashir Levingston, Specialist of the Year (FB Gazette)
 
 
 
More About Cooper Kupp . . .
 
Kupp announced on Nov. 30 he will indeed return for his senior season at EWU in lieu of pursuing professional opportunities a year early.
 
He became only the second wide receiver to ever win the Payton Award, with Brian Finneran from Villanova winning in 1997. He is the third Eagle to win the honor, with quarterback Erik Meyer honored in 2005 and quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell receiving the award in 2011. Eastern has now won the award three times out of eight total Payton's won by the Big Sky Conference.
 
Kupp has previously been honored as a first team selection on All-America teams announced by the American Football Coaches Association, STATS, Associated Press, the FCS Athletic Director's Association, Walter Camp Football Foundation and College Sports Madness. The FCS ADA selected him as its recipient of FCS Wide Receiver of the Year and he was also a first team Academic All-American in 2015.
 
A 2012 graduate of Davis High School in Yakima, Wash., Kupp's spectacular 2015 season included 114 receptions. That broke the previous league record of 112 and ranks eighth all-time in FCS history.
 
Kupp, who became only the second wide receiver in 42 years to win the Big Sky Conference Offensive MVP Award, and continuing a long legacy of Eagles to win the award. Eastern players have now won the honor 11 times in the last 15 seasons, and 12 times overall.
 
In 2015, Kupp led FCS in five categories – receptions, receptions per game (10.4), reception yards (1,642), reception yards per game (149.3) and touchdown receptions (19). The players closest to him in FCS were eight catches, 170 yards and four TDs behind him, and in the league the next-best player for catches was teammate Kendrick Bourne (73) and for yards it was NAU's Emmanuel Butler (1,208).
 
Through his junior season, Kupp has established eight Big Sky Conference records, as well as 17 school marks and seven NCAA Football Championships records. His 122.4 average reception yards per game is currently a FCS career record, while his other six FCS records were set during his freshman season. His average of 10.4 catches per game in 2015 was also a league record (sixth all-time in FCS), to go along with six career marks he set in just three seasons – all ending with first team All-Big Sky accolades.
 
Kupp even passed for a pair of touchdowns this season and had another via punt return, giving him 58 total touchdowns scored and 60 accounted for in his 39-game career (all as a starter). In just three years, he already ranks second in FCS history in touchdown catches (56, two behind the record), second in reception yards (4,764, 486 behind the record) and fourth in receptions (311, 84 behind the record). All three marks are Big Sky records, and he also established a new league record for average catches per game (7.97), which also ranks third in FCS history.
 
Kupp has helped Eastern win 29 games overall and 20 in the Big Sky Conference in the past three seasons, with outright Big Sky Conference championships and NCAA Football Championship Playoff berths his freshman and sophomore seasons. Eastern had a six-game winning streak in 2015, but finished the year with a three-game losing streak and final records of 6-5 and 5-3.
 
Kupp and the Eagles will open the 2016 season Sept. 3, 2015, when they play at Washington State. In three career games against Pac-12 opponents, Kupp has caught 28 passes for 510 yards and eight touchdowns – including Autzen Stadium records of 15 catches for 246 yards against Oregon on Sept. 5, 2015.
 
Eastern follows that with games against a pair of teams who played in the NCAA Football Championship Playoffs – North Dakota State and Northern Iowa.