"Are You In?" Web Site & Giving Portal
Cooper Kupp of the Los Angeles Rams has issued the rallying cry, and, along with the Eastern Washington University athletic department, is challenging Eagle fans far and wide to mirror that commitment.
The "Are You In?" fundraising campaign has begun and has a goal of $2 million to help alleviate recent budget shortfalls created by the Covid-19 pandemic and resulting postponement of the 2020 football season. Kupp, a four-time All-America wide receiver for EWU from 2013-16, has challenged EWU fans and friends to consider a gift to the Eagle Athletic Fund (EAF), with proceeds providing scholarships to EWU's student-athletes across all sports.
The "Are You In" web site and giving portal is available via:
https://www.ewu.edu/areyouin.
Kupp and other former EWU football players have met together virtually multiple times in hopes of spearheading a fund drive geared toward former student-athletes and raising money for scholarships at EWU. The result was a broader plea for all Eagles to give back to an athletics program that has developed such a rich tradition since becoming a member of NCAA Division I in the 1983-84 school year, and the Big Sky Conference in the fall of 1987.
The group seeks scholarship support for all sports. They also hope to continue to improve and update EWU's athletic facilities, as well as create a lasting endowment.
"The lessons I learned at EWU extended beyond the football field," Kupp said in an Instagram post on Sept. 8, just a few days before the Rams opened their 2020 National Football League schedule with a 20-17 victory over the Dallas Cowboys. "I learned how to make the most of the least. Learned how to find a way when the advantages and odds were stacked against me. Learned how to pull together with others to pull through."
The group's hope is that EWU student-athletes will continue to dominate in the Big Sky Conference athletically, while also maintaining the academic accomplishments that will make the school a top contender each year for the Big Sky Presidents' Cup.
They also want student-athletes to practice and perform safely and successfully, while greatly enhancing the fan experience as well. They support health and wellness, and want to ensure the ongoing momentum and success for years to come in hopes that will inspire future generations of talented student-athletes to make Eastern their university of choice.
"My time at Cheney helped set my life's course," Kupp said. "I hope the next generation gets the same opportunity."
Specifically, the Eastern football program has 1,608 all-time letterwinners, and is calling on those former Eagles and Savages alike to join the rally cry and cement the program's legacy at EWU.
Football on the campus in Cheney, Wash., has existed for 111 seasons encompassing 1,007 games, two national affiliations (NAIA & NCAA Division I/Football Championship Subdivision 1984-Present) and seven different leagues (Big Sky 1987-present; Evergreen, Washington Intercollegiate, Northwest Normal, Tri-Normal, Columbia Valley, Spokane Intercollegiate).
The program's successes include 10 Big Sky Conference titles and 13 berths in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs, all since 1984 when EWU moved from the NAIA to NCAA Division I. The Eagles won the 2010 FCS title and was the runner-up in 2018.
Prior to that, Eastern won 20 different league football titles while in the Evergreen Conference (7 in 1969, 1967, 1966, 1965, 1950, 1949, 1948; Winco (2 in 1947, 1939); Tri-Normal (6 in 1937, 1936, 1935, 1934, 1932, 1925); Columbia Valley (2 in 1925, 1924); and Spokane Intercollegiate, 3 in 1923, 1921, 1920). Eastern was the 1967 runner-up in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).
