49ers' George Kittle awards Super Bowl trip to widow, son of fallen soldier

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle will be making his Super Bowl debut on Feb. 2 and, in addition to his large entourage of friends and family, he'll be bringing a couple of special guests along with him.

In conjunction with financial-services company USAA and the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), Kittle has awarded the surviving family of Martin "Mick" LaMar a trip to Super Bowl LIV in Miami, where the Niners will play the Kansas City Chiefs.

"The work I do with the USAA and the TAPS organization is something I really have kind of fallen in love with," Kittle said. "I have a lot of family in the military so it's something that I just respect, and the sacrifice that they give is the ultimate sacrifice. So, if I can ever give back and make a family's day or just make them smile a little bit, then I've just done a little part in their lives."

Mick LaMar was a U.S. Army sergeant who was shot and killed while on his second tour of duty in Mosul, Iraq, on Jan. 15, 2011. The native of Sacramento, California, died on his wedding anniversary and is survived by wife Josephine (Josie) and her five children. LaMar had previously served in the Marine Corps out of high school and was deployed in the first Gulf War. He reenlisted with the Army in 2007.

With an assist from Kittle, Josie and 16-year-old son Nicolas, both of whom are big 49ers fans, will be headed to Miami for the Super Bowl. Josie became a fan through her husband and passed that down to Nicolas, who was 7 when Mick died. Kittle was scheduled to meet with Josie and Nicolas on Friday, something he said was looking forward to.

USAA is teaming up with other NFL players to offer a similar experience for fans from other parts of the country.

"As I hit the field to play in the Super Bowl, I find comfort in the fact that 49ers fans Josie and Nicolas LaMar will be cheering our team on," Kittle said in a statement. "It's a special privilege to be able to team up with USAA and TAPS to award a trip to the Super Bowl to Sergeant LaMar's family in recognition of his military service and paying the ultimate sacrifice in service of our country."