GEORGE KITTLE, TIGHT END
49ers Tight End George Kittle exemplifies honoring, empowering, and connecting with the military community. Kittle's connection is personal, rooted in family with his Uncle Pat and Grandfather Carl among loved ones who've served.
Kittle's positivity is contagious, empowering service members by lending his platform and resources. He hosts military and frontline heroes at every game, donating over 400 tickets in six years. Founding Hidden Pearls Podcast (HPP) in 2020, Kittle and his family amplify community stories, including those of nearly 60 veterans. Inspired by these stories, he and his family created an app offering free mental health resources to veterans, including the meditative practices he uses while playing. Kittle has donated over $250,000 to military nonprofits and further highlighted military organizations through My Cause My Cleats, including the Pat Tillman Foundation, TAPS, MVP, Operation Freedom Paws and Operation Surf.
Kittle's connection with service members goes beyond their introduction. After gifting the family of fallen Army soldier SGT Martin LaMar Super Bowl tickets, Kittle continues to host them at Training Camp and keeps SGT LaMar's purple heart in his locker. Army veteran Chris Kleinsorge handed a uniform he wore in Afghanistan to Kittle's wife, Claire, during an away game writing, "To George Kittle, as the 49ers Salute to Service nominee, on behalf of all military veterans, I want to thank you for all you have done to help my fellow brothers and sisters in arms." Understanding the uniform's importance, Kittle flew Kleinsorge and his wife to a home game, hugged them on the field and met post-game for meaningful conversation. These are just two of countless stories that exemplify Kittle's dedication to the military community. Kittle is an active participant in the team's Salute to Service programming and goes the extra mile to create opportunities to uplift the military community.