Average Joe

The football coach who fought all the way to Supreme Court for his right to pray shares his inspiring story of courage, redemption, and grace.

When Coach Joe Kennedy started offering a prayer on the field after each high school football game, the school district tried to shut him down, launching a seven-year legal battle that went to the Supreme Court—twice. In June 2022, he won.

Average Joe is the story of an unlikely champion of religious freedom. A former atheist, Kennedy never imagined he’d lead the defense of Americans’ First Amendment rights. He certainly didn’t intend to be at odds with his wife, who was the school district’s personnel director. But his love for God and country and his never-say-die courage landed this former Marine in the fight of his life.

The victory in Kennedy v. Bremerton School District opened the door for thousands of previously settled cases regarding public prayer to be reexamined with a friendlier eye to personal religious expression.

Average Joe: The Coach Joe Kennedy Story is a compelling personal account of his troubled youth, what he learned in the Marines, the lessons he instills in his players, his faith in God, and his love for his family. It’s a story that will inspire readers to live more boldly.