Jeff Kupper is in his fourth season as Director of Football Operations and Special Projects at Columbia. He came to the Lions in August 2005 after one year at Ohio University.
Kupper holds a multifaceted position which is involved closely with football marketing, development, compliance, equipment and facility operations. He oversees quality control for game day events, and arranges all staff and team travel, both in and out of season.
Kupper serves as Columbia Football’s liaison to housing and dining, Class Deans, Student Affairs, Admissions and Financial Aid, and University Development and Alumni Relations. He arranges personal development seminars for Columbia’s football student-athletes, proctors weekly study halls, and helps in identifying local employment, internships, and career opportunities.
He is involved closely with the annual team highlight film, Homecoming, the Football Alumni Golf Outing, and two annual dinners, the Team Awards Dinner and the Gold Football Dinner.
At Ohio, Kupper served as graduate assistant for football operations in 2005, and equipment and facilities graduate assistant from 2003 to 2005.
As an undergraduate at the University of Texas, Kupper earned three letters as Student Football Equipment Manager, another multifaceted position. The Odessa, Texas, native oversaw the packing, handling and transportation of equipment and team bags for road games, organized team activities for the travel squad., acted as liaison between the travel team and hotel staffs, maintained and organized football equipment, and worked on reconciliation of equipment orders for six men’s sports.
He was involved in logistical support for five bowl games that Texas participated in, including three Cotton Bowls and two Holiday Bowls.
Kupper was a three-time recipient of the Darrel K. Royal Scholarship Award and the Glen Swenson Award, both presented to an outstanding equipment manager. He spent four consecutive semesters on the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll.
An all-state (5A), All-West Texas, and All-Southwest Texas football player at Odessa High, Kupper graduated from UT Austin in 2002 with a B.A. in religious studies. He earned two master’s degrees at Ohio U., a master of business administration and a master of sports administration and facility management. Kupper lives in Manhattan, near the Columbia campus.
