Many people have probably heard about the praying football coach from the state of Washington who went all the way to the United States Supreme Court to defend his right to take a knee on the field. But not everyone knows who Joe Kennedy really is.
Now, with Great American Pure Flix partnering with Pinnacle Peak Pictures to bring his story to the big screen, we thought you’d like to learn more about the “Average Joe” who fought a lengthy court battle to help defend the religious freedom of all Americans.
Joe Kennedy was adopted as a young child, but his adoption story wasn’t without its challenges. He never really felt like he fit in or belonged, got into a lot of trouble, and was eventually released back into the foster care system. When he was 13, he was sent to Flying H Youth Ranch for troubled boys, a Christian-based residential camp in Washington state. And while the program started to make a positive difference in his life, he still felt lost and eventually “ended up getting right back into trouble.”
After graduating high school, Kennedy found himself on his own with no real direction in his life, so he decided to join the Marines. That decision was exactly what he needed in a lot of ways—teaching him valuable principles like mental and physical toughness, teamwork, leadership, and discipline over the course of his nearly 20-year career in the military. But the horrors of war also dispelled any notion of faith he may have held at the time.
“I didn’t believe in anything,” he said in a 2022 interview. “If there was a God, this wouldn’t happen, seeing your friends die.”
That slowly began to change after he married his wife, Denise. The couple knew each other as children and reconnected in 2012. Denise regularly attended church and Kennedy reluctantly tagged along to set a good example for their four kids. After a few months, God met him there in a powerful way.
“The wonderful thing about God is that His timing is absolutely perfect. I met with my childhood sweetheart, we got married and I was failing miserably, and I needed something to change,” he said. “I made a deal with God. I said, ‘If you give me my wife, I will give me my life,’ and that's the way it started out. I'm living for Him now."
Not long after Kennedy became a Christian, he agreed to join the Bremerton High School football staff as an assistant coach. He had been watching the Kendrick Brothers movie, “Facing the Giants,” and felt called to be a positive example in the lives of the young men. Part of that, was praying by himself at midfield after every game to give thanks to God. This tradition continued for seven seasons, and some students even joined in… until someone complained.
What started as a simple choice to honor God soon became a local—and then national—controversy that surrounded the community. Eventually, Coach Kennedy lost his job after the school district was pressured to silence him over fears about student involvement. To Kennedy, it was shocking realization of how diminished religious freedom in American had become.
“I fought [as a Marine] to defend the Constitution of the United States, and that actually means something to me,” he explained. “I’ve seen the way the rest of the world is, and America is so awesome. And if we are losing our God-given rights here in America, man, there’s no hope. So, I was like, ‘hey, even though I’m not on active duty anymore, guess what? I can still fight for our Constitution and stand up for what’s right.’”
Kennedy chose The First Liberty Institute to represent him, which filed the initial lawsuit challenging the school district’s policy in 2016. What the former coach hoped would be a cut-and-dry case about upholding his God-given rights, soon turned into a lengthy legal battle that played out in various courts—including the court of public opinion thanks to the media circus that surrounded the issue.
“I’m not a holier-than-thou person. I’m a train wreck just like everyone else,” he said. “This whole grandstanding show thing was brought on by the media, that I didn’t really want. I didn’t want it to be a big show. How do you stop that snowball or tidal wave that came up?”
And the legal battle took its toll on Joe in more ways than one. For one thing, his wife, Denise, worked for the school district as the head of human resources, and she was caught in the middle. Eventually, that caused feelings of bitterness that threatened to end the couple’s marriage.
“I was so angry at him. I spent a lot of time being angry because I didn’t understand his intention. I questioned his intention,” Denise recalled. “I lost friends over this. And those people I worked with for 15 years, and I loved them.”
Ultimately, what turned things round for the couple was an encouraging video message from Alex Kendrick, who directed and starred in “Facing the Giants,” the movie that inspired Joe to start coaching football.
“We just sat there with our arms around each other, watching the video and crying,” Joe recalled. “We didn’t have to say a single word. It was like she instantly knew that this was a God thing. God was in control of this.”
In June 2022, after nearly eight years of fighting, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in Kennedy’s favor, upholding his right to pray. The decision legally solidified the constitutional rights of all public-school employees “to engage in a brief, personal prayer in public.”
The Court also ordered that Kennedy be reinstated to his position as assistant coach for the Bremerton High School varsity football team and he returned to the field on September 1, 2023.
“The only thing I asked for is to be a coach and to be able to pray after a football game. And I’ve been waiting eight years for that moment and that’s Friday,” he said at the time. “After that, I’m sure God will give me some kind of insight into what’s next, but I’m leaving that on His plate instead of mine.”
Just days later, Coach Kennedy resigned his position as assistant coach, but it was hardly the end of his story.
"I believe I can best continue to advocate for constitutional freedom and religious liberty by working from outside the school system so that is what I will do,” he announced at the time. “I will continue to work to help people understand and embrace the historic ruling at the heart of our case. As a result of our case, we all have more freedom, not less. That should be celebrated and not disrespected.”
Pure Flix is partnering with Pinnacle Peak Pictures to bring Kennedy’s story to the big screen in the new film “Average Joe.” The film opens in theaters October 11 as a Fathom Event and is sure to encourage and inspire you.
“Average Joe” will only be in theaters for a limited time as a Fathom event so get your tickets today!