Claire Kittle waited almost a decade for her Sports Illustrated Swimsuit dreams to come true. In 2018, the now 32-year-old wife of San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle stood in line for the first SI Swim Search.
She didn’t get the call-up to the big leagues back then and she didn’t give up on her dreams either. She grinded and the hard work paid off. She was getting noticed, that included a few appearances in Screencaps, which is often a sign that there’s something big on the horizon.
George Kittle and Claire Kittle attend the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Runway Show during Swim Week at W South Beach in Miami Beach, Florida, on May 30, 2026. (Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images for Sports Illustrated)
There was something big on the horizon for her. Claire was one of the NFL WAGs who battled the cold weather for their SI Swimsuit cover shoot earlier this year. That was followed by a spot on the Miami Swim Week runway and a rise up the pop culture rankings that couldn’t be ignored.
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George was along for the ride and he pulled out a show of support for his wife in the form of an "out kicked my coverage" hat that was an acknowledgment of her pop culture rise.
On Wednesday, Claire shared some behind-the-scenes content from the SI Swimsuit runway show along with an acknowledgment of her own. She had finally made her dreams come true.
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She had gone from standing in line for an SI Swim Search to being a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model. While it was a long journey, it's one that she wouldn't change.
"The last slide is what I posted in 2018 after I stood in line for the first @si_swimsuit search. Young Claire knew what she wanted to be, the stars just didn’t quite align for her… yet. Always believe in yourself, there is no greater power. I wouldn’t change my story or timeline for a second, I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be," she wrote.
"Just because someone else is doing it now, doesn’t mean that can’t be you in the future."
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What a story. It has it all. Big dreams. Hard work. A model having those dreams unfold for her all while tugging at your heartstrings through bikini strings.
That's the kind of inspiration that will be passed down for generations in the Kittle family and beyond. Sign me up for a thousand more of these types of stories.
Sean Joseph is a writer for OutKick.
