San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle has been named the recipient of the 2024 Salute to Service Award.
Presented by USAA, the award recognizes the exceptional efforts made by members of the NFL family to honor and support the military community.
“I am incredibly thankful and honored to be this year’s Salute to Service Award recipient,” he said. “This is my fourth time being nominated by the 49ers, which is an absolute honor because it’s important to me to show gratitude and support to the military.”
Kittle will be recognized at NFL Honors presented by Invisalign on Thursday, during the week of Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans. USAA will contribute $25,000 in Kittle's honor to the official aid societies representing each of the military branches. The NFL Foundation will match USAA's donation of $25,000, which will be donated to Kittle's military charity of choice.
"George Kittle truly embodies the essence of the Salute to Service Award,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. “His dedication to honoring service members and involvement with numerous military organizations makes him the perfect choice for this honor.”
Kittle's connection to the military is personal and rooted in family service. His Uncle Pat and Grandfather Carl were among Kittle’s loved ones who served.
Kittle said his appreciation for the military stems from watching his Uncle Pat serve multiple tours with the National Guard and seeing firsthand how much it impacted him and his family while he was overseas.
“Without my family and their unwavering support, I would not be able to create these genuine and authentic relationships with the real heroes and the ones who should be receiving this award, the active-duty members, veterans, TAPS and families that have lost loved ones in the line of fire,” he said. “The support you see for the military around the league is so important and the fact that guys on every team do it, not just the nominees, is awesome. We are allowed to live the lives we live here because of the sacrifices they make, so we’re just trying to honor them, show our support, and share as much love as we can.”
Kittle hosts military and frontline heroes at every game, donating over 400 tickets in the last six years. Through the Founding Hidden Pearls Podcast which he founded in 2020, Kittle and his family amplify community stories, nearly 60 of which involve 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.
“Inspired by those in his own family who served, George has become a shining example for the NFL community of how to create lasting and genuine connections with our military, and we salute him as this year’s recipient of the Salute to Service Award presented by USAA,” said USAA Senior Vice President and Head of Military Affairs retired Army Maj. Gen. John Richardson.
In addition, 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, Merging Vets and Players, Operation Freedom Paws and Operation Surf.
Kittle also participates in the 49ers’ Salute to Service program. After gifting the family of fallen Army soldier Sgt. Martin LaMar Super Bowl tickets, Kittle continues to host them at training camp and keeps LaMar's Purple Heart in his locker. Army veteran Chris Kleinsorge gifted a uniform he wore in Afghanistan to Kittle and his wife during an away game to thank them for the work he has done for the military community. Following the exchange, Kittle flew Kleinsorge and his wife to a home game, hugged them on the field and met post-game for meaningful conversation.
Fans were again able to vote for their favorite nominees for the award. Finalists were ultimately decided upon based on a consensus fan vote, an NFL internal committee alongside USAA. Other finalists included Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones and Los Angeles Chargers defensive end Morgan Fox.
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.