George Kittle Named Recipient of NFL's 14th Annual Salute to Service Award

The NFL and USAA, an official NFL Salute to Service Partner, named George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers tight end, as 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.

Kittle will be recognized at NFL Honors presented by Invisalign on Thursday, February 6 during the week of Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans. USAA, a leading provider of insurance, banking and other financial services to U.S. military members, veterans and their families, 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. The NFL family is proud of his dedication to give back to those who sacrifice for our country and congratulates him on this tremendous achievement."

49ers tight end George Kittle exemplifies what it means to honor, empower, and connect with the military community. Kittle's connection is personal and rooted in family as his Uncle Pat and Grandfather Carl were among loved ones who've served.

"George Kittle continues to show a deep and unwavering dedication to our service members, veterans and their families through his military appreciation efforts which go beyond gestures and truly reflect a heartfelt commitment to those who have served our nation," said USAA Senior Vice President and Head of Military Affairs, Major General (Ret.) John Richardson. "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."

Through Kittle's positivity, he empowers service members by lending his platform and resources. He hosts military and frontline heroes at every game, donating over 400 tickets in the last six years. Through the Founding Hidden Pearls Podcast (HPP) founded in 2020, Kittle and his family amplify community stories, nearly 60 of those involving 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. Additionally, 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 (MVP), Operation Freedom Paws and Operation Surf.

Kittle is an active participant in the 49ers' Salute to Service programming whose connection with service members goes beyond an initial 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 gifted a uniform he wore in Afghanistan to George Kittle and his wife, during an away game thanking them for the work he has done for the military community. After the exchange, Kittle flew Kleinsorge and his wife to a home game, hugged them on the field and met post-game for meaningful conversation. These stories are only a few instances of countless examples exemplifying Kittle's dedication to the military community.

"I am incredibly thankful and honored to be this year's Salute to Service Award recipient. 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," said George Kittle. "My appreciation for the military stems from watching my 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. 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."

Fans were once again able to vote for their favorite nominees, and the finalists were ultimately decided based on a consensus fan vote, an NFL internal committee alongside USAA. Nominees were also evaluated on the positive impact of their efforts to support the military community, the type of service conducted, the thoroughness of their support and their level of commitment. This year's other finalists included Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones and Los Angeles Chargers defensive end Morgan Fox.

A panel of judges, consisting of representatives from the U.S. military community, the NFL and USAA, will determine the Salute to Service Award recipient, and includes Chad Hennings, Air Force Academy graduate and three-time Super Bowl champion; Jim Mora, Sr., Marine Corps veteran and former NFL head coach; Lenny Bandy, U.S. Marine Corps veteran and NFL Vice President of Security; Major General (Ret.) John Richardson, USAA Senior Vice President and head of Military Affairs, and Joe Cardona, New England Patriots long snapper, U.S. Naval Reservist and 2023 Salute to Service Award recipient.

Below is the list of previous Salute to Service Award recipients: