HOLLAND, Mich. — The 4 letters scribbled connected a modular concern nametag served some arsenic a wholly unnecessary instauration of the town’s hometown leader and biggest prima portion besides providing a cleanable reminder that small has changed contempt his immense nonrecreational success.
Presumed Las Vegas Raiders starting backmost Kirk Cousins is backmost location astatine his alma mater, Holland Christian High School, moving a shot campy that is much tract time than hard-core diversion endeavor.
It’s acold from a fly-by-night cognition whereby an jock pops successful and collects a cheque for lending his sanction and immoderate photograph ops, but much truthful different section successful a emotion matter betwixt a antheral and the assemblage that shaped him.
By the extremity of the camp, he’s calling connected respective of the 204 fourth, 5th and sixth graders by sanction erstwhile they rise their hands to inquire and reply questions ranging from shot to scripture.
And they are calling him “Kirk,” the sanction written by manus successful marker connected his nametag, astatine slightest until an day tempest washed it distant aboriginal connected the archetypal day.
“I deliberation it makes a connection that he’s not abstracted from anyone else,” his father, Don, said of the nametag. “That he’s nary amended than anyone else. He’s conscionable different feline that happened to beryllium fixed an quality by God to propulsion the shot and to person the caput indispensable to play quarterback. And he’s wherever he’s astatine due to the fact that of who God made him to be.”
It’s a acquisition Cousins learned from Holland and 1 helium is inactive trying to stock with a assemblage that helped signifier the benignant of person the Raiders are getting for astatine slightest 1 season.
The roots
Don Cousins, present the elder pb pastor of Discovery Church successful Orlando, Florida, moved his woman and 3 children to Holland from suburban Chicago successful hunt of a quieter beingness and 1 much aligned with the family’s halfway values erstwhile Kirk was successful seventh grade.
If determination is thing the elder Cousins talks astir about arsenic overmuch arsenic his faith, it’s contention and winning, halfway beliefs that person surely been passed connected to Kirk.
Don and his woman believed if they could “win” the adjacent 8 years, done the clip older member Kyle and younger sister Karalyne would each beryllium done with precocious school, past they would springiness them each the tools they needed to vie successful beingness for the remainder of their lives. That, helium believed, would marque them winners arsenic parents.
That extremity was accomplished successful this idyllic, picturesque assemblage conscionable miles from the enactment of Lake Michigan.
“As a dad, I’m truly conscionable arrogant of who Kirk is arsenic a person,” Cousins said. “He handles himself really, truly good due to the fact that of who helium is connected the inside. His character, his integrity, his genuine attraction and interest for different people. He understands what enactment is each about, and helium understands that enactment is influence. …
“He genuinely cares astir different radical and doesn’t usage them for his ain benefit. He’s an equipper of different radical and due to the fact that of that, however helium handles himself connected the tract becomes a victor arsenic well.”
The enactment traits that person go synonymous with Cousins successful the NFL were evident to those astir him from the beginning. So overmuch truthful that his parent started calling him the “Pied Piper” aboriginal successful his youth.
“All 3 of our kids person a passionateness they get from their father, but Kirk astatine an particularly young property was organizing activities successful preschool,” MaryAnn Cousins said. “Then successful kindergarten and archetypal grade, helium was organizing things astatine recess oregon shot games. I kept getting calls arsenic aboriginal arsenic preschool for radical to acceptable up play dates with Kirk. I was conscionable like, ‘Boy, you definite are popular.’ I don’t cognize what it was astir him.”
Don Cousins believes the “clean-cut” representation harped connected by the media has hidden the information his lad has a “dynamic personality.”
“Every squad he’s ever been on, he’s been a squad captain,” the elder Cousins said. “He’s a batch of fun, and though he’s cleanable chopped and helium doesn’t tally connected borderline of beingness morally oregon ethically if you will, the cognition successful immoderate cases is that he’s viewed arsenic a small spot square. He’s not square. He’s a batch of amusive and portion of the crushed wherefore the coaches travel retired and his friends inactive travel is due to the fact that helium maintains each those relationships.”
Those attributes helped him find occurrence connected the tract astatine Holland Christian, conscionable steps from his beforehand door, successful football, hoops and baseball.
But it was shot that would seizure his bosom close determination connected the aforesaid field wherever helium present hosts his camp.
“I deliberation I learned close implicit present successful this shed, the value room, what it took to truly enactment and grind astatine the game,” Kirk Cousins said. “Not conscionable to spell retired and play, but to enactment the enactment successful implicit the summertime successful the heat, lifting and running. I had teammates who were tough, hardworking people, and they benignant of acceptable an illustration for me. Then I had fun. So I deliberation it was multifaceted, but there’s nary uncertainty that the instauration was laid close present connected this property.”
His favourite shot representation remains a fourth-and-18 conversion successful overtime, followed by a palmy 2-point conversion that sent the pupil conception scrambling to unreserved the tract successful a victory.
“Those are truly peculiar memories, and they bash travel backmost erstwhile you measurement connected the writer here,” helium said.
The growth
It took until precocious successful the recruiting process, but Cousins, who volition beryllium 38 connected Aug. 19, yet landed a assistance to adjacent Michigan State, wherever his NFL abilities would beryllium sharpened.
He credits erstwhile Spartans antiaircraft tackle Justin Kershaw for further strengthening his acumen arsenic a leader.
That started aft his archetypal practice, 1 successful which Cousins admittedly struggled and started to question whether helium belonged astatine specified a precocious level.
Kershaw recovered him aboriginal successful the time and offered words of encouragement that bolstered his assurance contempt his struggles.
“When I ended up getting voted skipper and radical asked maine how, I said I conscionable did what Justin did,” Cousins said. “To person idiosyncratic to transcript and exemplary truly helps. I’ve ever taken that with me. Veteran enactment helps successful the NFL. Now successful the league, teams alteration truthful overmuch that it’s hard. But if you tin physique relationships and beryllium unneurotic longer, that continuity tin marque a difference.”
He didn’t accidental it, but it’s wide that volition beryllium portion of his relation with rookie backmost Fernando Mendoza. Cousins isn’t determination to beryllium a coach, but the enactment understands Mendoza volition beryllium well-served by simply pursuing the illustration acceptable by Cousins.
Mendoza said connected Maxx Crosby’s podcast this week that the champion pieces of proposal from Cousins truthful acold person been astir the value of mentation and remaining genuine and not effort to alteration perceptions oregon to delight anyone.
“He said you’re not going to past agelong successful this league if you’re not genuine,” Mendoza said. “Because they don’t privation to travel an inauthentic leader. They volition speech successful the locker country astir however this feline is simply a phony and question what you’re doing. So I conscionable effort to beryllium existent to myself due to the fact that if you’re genuine, whether it’s what you deliberation your teammates successful the locker country privation to see, the proposal he’s fixed maine is conscionable to beryllium yourself.”
That is precisely what Cousins has done passim his vocation with Washington, Minnesota and adjacent Atlanta wherever the commencement of his tenure was hampered by his betterment from a large Achilles surgery.
Despite astatine times being mocked connected the extracurricular by those who don’t recognize him, Cousins has been embraced everyplace due to the fact that helium stays existent to himself. And he’s been rewarded for his success.
He signed a landmark woody successful Minnesota and recovered occurrence for six seasons until the enactment decided it was going to prime a rookie backmost and determination connected from him aft his injury. Cousins landed successful Atlanta lone to beryllium a spot blindsided erstwhile the Falcons besides drafted a rookie backmost successful the archetypal round.
Yet Cousins yet recovered his mode backmost connected the tract and closed past play with 4 consecutive wins arsenic a starter earlier hitting the marketplace and choosing to travel to the Raiders, who helium was good alert would prime Mendoza with the apical pick.
“The transportation for maine was the ball,” helium said. “The scheme. The coaches. The accidental to get it going successful the close absorption again. It’s a arrogant contented there. I presumption it arsenic a privilege to beryllium a portion of getting it going again and getting the shot portion of it right. I conscionable had to beryllium OK with surviving successful the Mojave Desert. And erstwhile I got there, I was a small nervous. But aft 2 months, you spot it’s decidedly workable. You request your electrolytes and your canteen of water. But we tin perfectly marque this work.”
So far, truthful good.
Cousins and Mendoza rapidly built a relationship, 1 that was connected afloat show successful their “Step Brothers” parody for the team’s docket merchandise video.
But aft a productive offseason program, determination was nary uncertainty wherever Cousins would beryllium successful the six weeks disconnected earlier grooming campy opens successful precocious July.
“I’ve often asked that question myself,” helium said of wherefore his household maintains an offseason residence and imperishable enslaved with Holland. “We could spell anywhere. Do we truly privation to walk six weeks successful West Michigan each summer? And the reply to maine has ever been, without a doubt, yes. I deliberation it’s the operation of the memories made here. The radical I cognize here. The climate. The summertime is favorable. You’ve got the h2o and the beach. But this is simply a peculiar spot for me.”
Cousins maintains a “funtivities list” for his clip successful the country that spans everything from sitting connected the formation enjoying the sunset to playing tennis with his sons and play with his precocious schoolhouse pals.
The community
Holland isn’t conscionable a spot wherever Cousins keeps a abrogation location arsenic an concern property. He remains a cardinal portion of the community.
The clerk astatine Baja Grill connected the main resistance lights up erstwhile discussing Cousins’ predominant visits, relaying helium often orders the chickenhearted nachos and raves astir the acquisition each clip helium does arsenic if he’s being served filet mignon astatine the finest steak location connected the Strip.
Among the archetypal things 1 notices being successful the beingness of Cousins is however everyone feels arsenic if they are the astir important idiosyncratic successful the country erstwhile he’s around. When fans, friends, oregon truly anyone, approaches, Cousins is speedy to commencement the speech by asking astir them. He appears genuinely funny successful getting to cognize radical who often look to beryllium hoping for thing much than a handshake. It’s evident each astir a municipality wherever Cousins has laid down roots beyond conscionable his ain property.
Cousins and his wife, Julie, decided a fewer years agone to bargain Clearbrook Golf Course, which is celebrating its 100th day this year, to spare it from developers, a destiny that had already taken historical West Shore Golf Course from the area.
“Our interest was that it would get removed and go apartments oregon lodging oregon immoderate was going to hap to it,” Cousins said. “We felt similar if we could sphere it arsenic a play people for the adjacent generation, we’d similar to measurement successful and beryllium capable to bash that. That’s inactive our goal.”
It was nary mean concern deal.
The Cousins worked with proprietor Jim Jeltema and his wife, who are nearing status age, to acquisition the people but support them successful charge.
Despite what was undoubtedly a hefty terms tag for the transaction, the couples operated connected mostly handshake agreements until the last measurement successful the process. They adjacent shared lawyers and experts for respective of the cardinal points of the deal.
“One of the things I get asked a batch is, ‘What is Kirk like?’” Jeltema said. “I deliberation his integrity level is unimpeachable. He has specified a coagulated quality compass, and helium conscionable ever uses that conscience to assistance him marque decisions. … In my experience, helium was precisely the feline you’d expect him to be, based connected what you cognize astir him and what you’ve work astir him, done the full process. There was ne'er a clip I would accidental thing I needed that they didn’t respond to positively. It was conscionable a truly bully relationship. And inactive is.
“The 1 committedness helium made is that this volition enactment a play course. I turned down 2 offers from developers. I didn’t spot immoderate consciousness successful going that way due to the fact that I felt a semipermanent committedness to the staff, and I privation to spot them enactment employed. He’s helped america bash that.”
The camp
Cousins’ camp, which endured a hiatus due to the fact that of COVID and is yet ramping backmost up again, is simply a cardinal example. He dropped the property scope this twelvemonth to see his ain sons, Cooper (8) and Turner (7), and plans to determination the ages up arsenic they grow.
It’s not conscionable a mode for Cousins to scope retired to young kids successful the area. Many of the volunteers are section precocious schoolhouse and assemblage shot players who get the accidental to interact with Cousins and prime his brain. Others are erstwhile precocious schoolhouse pals of the backmost who get to walk clip with their friend.
His household is omnipresent. So are Laura Jongekrijg and her girl Dana Geurink, the co-directors of the camp.
Jongekrijg was an diversion head astatine Holland Christian erstwhile Cousins attended schoolhouse determination and has remained adjacent to the family.
She approached 1 younker arsenic helium arrived for the 2nd time of campy to marque definite helium had a bully acquisition connected the erstwhile day.
“It was the champion time of my life,” the kid responded.
Jongekrijg aboriginal remarked the extremity was conscionable to springiness them their champion days of the summer.
But Cousins and his squad enactment diligently to marque definite the acquisition is simply a affirmative one. At 1 point, helium is engaged successful a meticulous treatment astir whether the footballs should beryllium smaller for the 4th graders to marque them easier to grip. Shortly thereafter, he’s engaged successful what becomes a dialog connected overtime procedures for 1 of the games.
There’s not a item helium wants to permission unchecked, which is wherefore Jongekrijg is 1 of respective radical monitoring radar and upwind forecasts and relaying updates to Cousins successful lawsuit things request to beryllium moved inside.
“Obviously, helium gives backmost truthful overmuch financially, but I deliberation this is the bigger chunk of what helium does,” Jongekrijg said. “He gives these kids a portion of his soul. He’s retired determination telling kids that beingness is hard, but you person to beryllium beardown and courageous. That benignant of giving backmost is priceless to these kids, and I don’t deliberation helium has a hint astir the mode helium influences lives astir here. He has nary idea.”
That included Cohen Jansen, who conscionable wrapped up his freshman play and is adjacent successful enactment to go the starting backmost astatine Holland Christian successful the future.
“It’s truthful awesome to person him here,” Jansen said. “He’s specified a humble guy, and helium has done everything the close way. I deliberation it’s chill helium shows the kids they tin beryllium humble and inactive person success.”
Maroons caput manager Dave Abberger called Cousins an “icon” successful the assemblage and credited him for being contiguous much than conscionable astatine his camp.
He said Cousins regularly sends texts and video messages to the squad and idiosyncratic players passim their play that are often utilized successful movie sessions to inspire, motivate and teach.
“We don’t person a ton of celebrities, but we bash person Kirk,” Abberger said. “I deliberation what makes it chill is that erstwhile helium comes backmost determination is perfectly nary pretense. He’s conscionable backmost home.
“And nobody’s ever going to cognize astir those small things helium does for our players. It’s perfectly unthinkable for idiosyncratic of his caliber to put that benignant of clip successful the players to this day. Every Saturday, helium wakes up and checks precocious schoolhouse shot scores. And the kids cognize that. To cognize that helium cares and that it’s not a transactional happening for him, but thing helium does due to the fact that helium really cares, is what makes it truthful special.”
One of the astir important parts of the lawsuit to Cousins is the dads luncheon connected the past time of the camp.
The fathers of the campers caput into the auditorium for a luncheon wherever Cousins talks to them earlier taking questions ranging from religion to fatherhood to football. Mostly the prior. It’s an unfastened forum for Cousins and the dads to sermon some their ambitions and their shortcomings. It’s determination Cousins tells them helium and Julie sat down this twelvemonth to gully up a household Constitution that volition service arsenic a guiding papers for what helium hopes volition beryllium generations of Cousins to come.
Football inactive important
Cousins, of course, is simply a nonrecreational shot player. And a precise bully one. He is expected to commencement for the Raiders this season, though conscionable however agelong helium volition support the occupation is mostly babelike connected some his occurrence and that of the team.
But helium plans to beryllium connected the field.
“There’s surely a agelong checklist of shot accomplishments I’d inactive emotion to get and a Lombardi (Super Bowl championship) is astatine the apical of that list,” helium said. “But ultimately, I deliberation it’s astir enjoying different twelvemonth successful the locker country with the guys trying to play the champion shot we tin perchance play and triumph arsenic galore shot games arsenic we tin perchance win.”
He said 1 of the large lessons helium has taken from his 14-year vocation is that you can’t cheat the process. There are nary shortcuts.
The key, Cousins believes, is to perpetrate to the process and spot that if everyone successful the enactment pulls successful the aforesaid direction, determination volition beryllium a accidental to scope their eventual goals.
It’s akin to however helium hopes to correspond himself arsenic some a palmy subordinate and a beardown typical of the community.
“I deliberation you tin person both, but I deliberation it would beryllium a shame to beryllium a large shot subordinate and not a large man,” helium said. “I deliberation immoderate subordinate would accidental that. Certainly who you are arsenic a idiosyncratic is much important. That’s however my parents raised me.”
Not that he’s stressing retired astir his image.
“I deliberation honestly you conscionable person to beryllium your authentic self,” helium said. “I conjecture determination would beryllium unit if you’re being idiosyncratic you’re not. And I’m not perfect. So you conscionable person to recognize that radical are evidently watching and you privation to locomotion with integrity. But I was raised close present to beryllium that feline erstwhile cipher is looking.
“I’ve got my woman and my parents and siblings who volition support maine successful enactment if I’m not the feline I ought to be, but I conscionable effort to beryllium authentically maine and fto the chips autumn wherever they may.”
That volition astir surely beryllium connected the shores of Lake Michigan.
Contact Adam Hill astatine ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ connected X.
The Cousins file
Name: Kirk Cousins
Age: 37
Position: Quarterback
Born: Barrington, Ill.
Grew up: Holland, Mich.
Family: Wife, Julie; 2 sons, Cooper and Turner
College: Michigan State
Draft: Fourth round, 2012 (No. 102 overall)
Pro career: Washington Redskins (2012-17); Minnesota Vikings (2018-23); Atlanta Falcons (2024-25); Las Vegas Raiders (2026-)
Career stats: 3,934-5,899, 66.7 percent, 44,700 yards, 298 touchdowns, 131 interceptions, 96.8 rating
English (US)·