George Kittle, born on October 9, 1993, in Madison, Wisconsin, hails from a family with a strong athletic lineage. His father, Bruce Kittle, was a co-captain of the University of Iowa's 1982 Rose Bowl team and later transitioned into coaching, while his mother, Jan Krieger, earned All-America honors in basketball at Drake University and was inducted into the Iowa Girls' High School Athletic Union Hall of Fame. After relocating to Iowa in 2000, Kittle attended several high schools before graduating from Norman High School in Oklahoma, where he committed to the University of Iowa.
Kittle played college football at Iowa from 2012 to 2016 under coach Kirk Ferentz. Initially overshadowed by other tight ends, he emerged as a significant contributor during his junior year, amassing 290 yards and six touchdowns. His senior year highlighted his potential, notably with a standout performance against North Dakota State, where he recorded five catches for 110 yards. He concluded his college career with 48 receptions for 737 yards and ten touchdowns.
Selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft, Kittle quickly transformed the tight end position with his unique blend of blocking and receiving abilities. He made history on December 9, 2018, by setting a franchise record with 210 receiving yards in a single half and becoming the first tight end to finish a season with over 1,000 receiving yards for the 49ers. Kittle broke the single-season receiving yards record for tight ends with 1,377 yards in 2018 and has since become a two-time First-team All-Pro and seven-time Pro Bowl selection.
As of now, Kittle has amassed over 8,000 receiving yards and 52 touchdowns in his career, ranking among the top tight ends in NFL history. Off the field, he married his college sweetheart, Claire Till, in April 2019
