[2] Kupp was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the ninth round (116th overall) of the 1964 NFL draft as a tight end.
On August 30, 1966, he was traded to the Washington Redskins at the end of the 1965 season, along with Brig Owens and Mitch Johnson, in exchange for Jim Steffen and a fifth round draft choice (#119-Willie Parker).
[3] In 1966, because the coaching staff considered that Kupp lacked the necessary size for the offensive line, the Washington Redskins tried to play him at tight end.
[4] Kupp became one of the original members of the New Orleans Saints, after being selected in the 1967 NFL Expansion Draft, playing 5 regular season games as a starter at left guard, before being released.
On November 5, 1967, the Atlanta Falcons claimed him off waivers and would appear in 6 games with 5 starts at left guard.