49ers’ George Kittle sends touching note to his college coach, penned on a jersey
The 49ers' George Kittle was voted one of the top 100 NFL players after his 1,377 receiving yards set an NFL single-season record for tight ends.
Talk to any teacher whose students come back to say “thank you.”
It’s invariably a lump-in-the-throat moment.
LeVar Woods got a double dose Tuesday. Woods? He was a student-athlete at Iowa who followed his bliss to the NFL — where he played seven years as a linebacker for the Arizona Cardinals, Detroit Lions and Tennessee Titans.
He is now back at his alma mater as special teams coordinator. But before he got that assignment, he coached tight ends. One of his students was a young man named George Kittle who was the 49ers’ fifth-round choice in the 2017 draft. He hit the ground running as a rookie, catching 46 passes, two for touchdowns.
Last season he took the tight end position to places it never saw before — 88 catches, 1,377 yards (a single-season NFL record for a tight end), and five touchdowns. Earlier this week the NFL Network announced the NFL Top 100, as voted by players. Guess who was on it?
In 2018, he broke the single-season receiving yards record by a TE
@gkittle46 emerges at No. 29 on the #NFLTop100! pic.twitter.com/mpXNEUfJ5X
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) July 30, 2019
And guess who saw it?
Found out @gkittle46 was named to @NFL Top 100 this AM, then received this in the mail this afternoon. Thank you! It was great coaching you & I’m very proud of you! Keep working hard & remember you can be as good as… https://t.co/bOwzyMrZSu
— LeVar Woods (@LeVarWoods) July 31, 2019
But that wasn’t all. A few hours later, a package arrived for Woods.
Because black on blue can make for a difficult read, here is a more readable version — that is, until you begin to tear up.
“Coach Woods:
Thank you for helping take advantage of every opportunity in my last two years of college. Without your guidance and friendship I would not be where I am today. You helped me achieve one of my dreams.
“Always remember that you have an incredibly positive voice and infectious personality. I wish we could have played together. You will always be an honorary tight end.”