Cooper Kupp, wide receiver for the Los Angeles Rams, has been named the Hickok Belt® Award winner for January 2022. Voting was conducted by a select panel of members of the National Sports Media Association (NSMA). Kupp’s feats in the playoffs led to three wins in three games, which led the Rams to the Super Bowl for the second time since 2018. In the wild card game against the Arizona Cardinals, Kupp had five receptions for 61 yards and one touchdown for a 34-11 win. In the divisional game, Kupp had nine receptions for 183 yards and one touchdown in the 30-27 win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Most importantly, Kupp’s 44-yard reception at the end of the game set up the game-winning field goal. Kupp had 11 receptions for 142 receiving yards and two touchdowns in the 20-17 victory over the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship. The victory propelled the Rams into Super Bowl 56. He surpassed Hall of Famer Michael Irvin with his NFL record 13th 100-yard game of the season. In addition to his playoff feats, Kupp earned the “Triple Crown” accomplishment during the regular season, with 1,947 receiving yards, 145 receptions, and 16 receiving touchdowns.
Other finalists for January in order of how the NSMA voters ranked them were: Joel Embid (basketball), Patrick Mahomes (football), Giannis Antetokounmpo (basketball), Mikaela Shiffrin (skiing), Jonathan Huberdeau (hockey), Chris Kreider (hockey), LeBron James (basketball), Luke List (golf), and Ville Husso (hockey).
Kupp’s selection as the Hickok Belt® Award winner for January 2022 recognizes him as “the best of the best” in professional sports for the month. It makes him the first candidate eligible to receive the 2022 overall award as he will be joined by other finalists throughout the year based on NSMA voting.
To learn more about the Hickok Belt® Award and its history, visit hickokbelt.com.
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