YAKIMA, Wash. — There was an extra bounce in the step of people inside Yakima's A.C. Davis High School on Monday.
"Did you watch the Super Bowl Coach Du?" asked a student, as a group gathered in the school gym.
"There was a game?" responded the instructor, smiling as he walked to his office adorned with Los Angeles Rams gear and old photos on the wall.
"Yesterday, was one of the best days of football I've had in a long time," said Jay Dumas as he later stood outside the East Yakima school, where he is currently the head football coach.
Dumas coached Cooper Kupp at Davis High School as the offensive coordinator in the early 2010s. He described a diminutive, yet hard-working kid, who was never in trouble and always focused on a common goal.
"The way he's driven is second to none," said Dumas. "That guy wakes up in the morning wanting to work harder than everybody."
Yet because he was a late bloomer, Kupp couldn't get the attention of big-time Division 1 football programs, despite Dumas' urging and allegiances. Dumas himself played wide receiver for Washington State in the early 1990s, but Kupp couldn't get a bite there either.
Instead, Kupp went to Eastern Washington University where he was an All-American, before being drafted in the third round by the Los Angeles Rams in 2017. Again, the Yakima native was undervalued.
"I knew he was a steal in the third round. A pro’s pro, a great man, a man of faith, I knew he would be really successful in the NFL," said Dumas.
But it wasn't until this year that Kupp caught fire and won the receiving 'Triple Crown', leading the NFL in receptions, yards, and touchdowns. On Sunday, he was named the Super Bowl MVP after scoring two TDs, including the game-winner with less than 1:30 to play.
"It was almost surreal watching him, when you know someone personally, it gives you that much more investment in the game," said Dumas.
PHOTOS: Wide receiver Cooper Kupp, from Yakima to Eastern to the Super Bowl
Photos of Kupp hang in the school's trophy case, and the "Kupp Country" banner is on the side of the wall. Kupp's parents still live in the area.
Cooper is the third generation of Kupps to play in the NFL. Cooper's Dad Craig backed up Troy Aikman on the Dallas Cowboys upon graduation from Pacific Lutheran University and grandfather Jake played offensive guard for multiple teams in the 1960s and 1970s after graduating from the University of Washington.
Dumas said you would have never known of that lineage in high school and it something Cooper never discussed. But people are talking now in the city of 93,000 people. Kupp, a once-overlooked player, has become about an inspiration.
"For the kids, it gives them a sense of hope for their city," he said. "We're happy for him, happy for the city, and can't wait for next year."