Caitlin Clark and George Kittle have a few things in common.
They are both somewhat "bigger than life.'' They are both proud University of Iowa alums. And as they've moved on to the top of their field in their respective sports - Kittle might be the best all-around tight end in the NFL and Clark might be the best all-around player in the WNBA - there is something else ...
"Caitlin's a dog,'' said Kittle with great admiration for both Clark's playing style as a second-year pro and already-icon with the Indiana Fever ... and for her position as a spokesperson for the advancement of her sport - and some of the jealousy and even hatred that's come along with that.
Kittle, the San Francisco 49ers star, was engaged in a discussion about the upcoming American Century Classic golf tournament in Lake Tahoe, when the subject of Clark was broached.
"She couldn't be any nicer of a person,'' he said. "And she is just always nice, takes her time for everybody. I think when you go from being a college student to being one of the most popular people on the planet, I think she handles it incredibly well. She always has.'''
And, he added ...
"She's an ultimate competitor," Kittle said.
Amid all of the controversy surrounding here (most of it simply due to her precocious greatness), Kittle said that Clark "handles whatever is thrown her way incredibly well and with the highest grace."
Kittle has gotten to know Clark a bit as she's moved from college to the pros.
"We were hanging out in the training room after the game just to get away from the crowd a little bit," he recalled. "She comes in, hugs all the athletic trainers, talks to everybody, talks to us a little bit, and you just see how much people care for her. She has this incredible reputation that she's built day in and day out. ...''
Kittle has a reputation of his own. He's talented and colorful and embraces controversy, too. But it's the "competitiveness,'' he notes, that likely can create a bond.
"You see how she is on the court. She has this competitiveness. She's got this fire in her," he said. "But as soon as she gets off the court, there's this flip of the switch. She's just Caitlin Clark. To be able to go back and forth between all that, you have to be very good to be able to do that, and she does that flawlessly."