SANTA CLARA — George Kittle had luck on his side Sunday during his two-touchdown performance in the 49ers' 38-13 win over the Arizona Cardinals.
The tight end’s 100-year-old grandmother, Lugene -- nicknamed “Lucky” -- was at Levi's Stadium for the regular-season finale. She can't travel from Iowa often, so it was the first NFL game she was able to attend.
“That was awesome. Are you kidding me?” Kittle said after the game. “Just being able to see her. I don’t get to see her too often because she’s back in Iowa. To get her out here and score for her, it was really special, and I know my mom had a great time, too.”
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Kittle put on a show for his grandmother, catching four of his six targets for 29 yards and the two TDs. In his 15 regular-season appearances, he racked up 60 receptions on 86 targets for 765 yards and a career-high 11 TDs.
The University of Iowa product recorded fewer yards this season than he did during his 2019 All-Pro season (1,053), but his yards per reception of 12.73 actually were higher than his mark of 12.4 from that year. Kittle jokingly shared that he felt the pressure to meet his grandmother’s expectations in the win.
“She said I looked really good and that I was going to have a great game today,” Kittle said of his pregame conversation with his grandmother. “She’s going to have to come to some playoff games, too, just to speak it into existence.”
Kittle has been a reliable target for 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, with three of his four multiple-TD games coming after the rookie took over the starting job. Kittle believes Purdy has what it takes to continue his success into the playoffs and without skipping a beat, with San Francisco's offense seemingly improving each game.
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Kittle, however, will not look too far ahead, staying true to the advice that he lives by -- and given to him by his grandmother.
“Since I was a kid, she told me, ‘Treat people how you want to be treated. Be kind to people,’ ” Kittle said. “ ‘Appreciate people for who they are, and don’t judge people. Appreciate everyone for what they bring to the table.’
“ ‘Be present in all situations because moments come and go, and you don’t want to be aloof and not realize how special the moment is. Appreciate and learn from them and get better from them.’ ”
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The entire Kittle family likely will never forget the moments they shared Sunday at Levi’s, which included the entire stadium singing “Happy Birthday” to Lucky during a game break.