Retired NFL tight end Greg Olsen just wrapped up co-hosting the fourth annual Tight End University with George Kittle and Travis Kelce in Nashville, and he’s big fans of the NFL stars.
The former tight end, 39, exclusively said that this year’s event was the best yet, and his co-hosts Kelce, 34, and Kittle, 30, haven’t let their growing fame get in the way of their priorities on the field.
“It went really well and it’s kind of funny now in year four to see the growth and how far the event has come, considering year one, back in 2021, we did it at a local high school and we might’ve had 30 guys,” says Olsen. “It was really just the camp and then at night, we would go out to a bar and that was pretty much the extent.”
This year, the three-day event was sponsored by Charmin, Bridgestone and Bud Light, and the trio hosted their first Tight Ends & Friends Concert, where attendees and fans enjoyed a performance by Jelly Roll.
Olsen started the annual tight ends’ retreat with Kelce and Kittle before both current NFL stars held their current level of celebrity status, particularly Kelce, now that he’s in a relationship with Taylor Swift.
“All these other things off the field and around the game continued to expand for them,” says Olsen of the tight ends. “And I think a lot of guys struggle with that.”
“I think the two of them understand their priorities and keeping things in that order, and I think for those two guys, the key is for them to have this success year in and year out is just a testament to their approach of how they do things,” says Olsen.
“At the core of what they are, they’re football players,” Olsen continues of Kelce and Kittle. “All that extra stuff and all the attention, it comes and goes, and I’m sure parts of it are amazing and have great perks, and I’m sure parts of it are hard. Obviously I don’t live in those shoes, but when it’s time to work, no one was more engaged in the work in the classroom and the work on the field than both George and Travis.”
Even with the addition of brand sponsors, a concert event and opportunities for fans to get involved, Olsen says Kelce and Kittle haven’t let the program’s initial intention lose center focus.
Ultimately, Tight End University is a three-day program that started as an idea from a “random text message” between Kittle and Olsen.
“It’s funny, George and I were texting back in 2021 after I retired and he kind of just threw out a, ‘Hey, if you ever come down to Nashville, we’ve got about five or six tight ends that live down here. We’d love to work out and do a little session.’ And from that kind of random text message just back and forth after I retired to see where it’s grown in four years, and then of course getting Travis involved all the way back from the start, it’s remarkable,” he shares.
“I think that’s so cool for these young guys,” Olsen explains of the program’s unique opportunity for football’s brightest up-and-comers in their position.
“They’ve got the two best guys that just played in the Super Bowl. They played each other a couple years ago. They’re perennial Pro Bowl-ers. You can go up and down the list of personal accolades. And here we are on a random Tuesday in the summer when they could be anywhere in the world and they’re at the front of the line training out on the field in a hundred degrees.”
Olsen says that Kelce and Kittle’s willingness to not only put in hard work on their own success, but to offer their time and support to the future tight ends is a “reminder” to the program’s participants “that there’s always the work behind the success that everyone sees.”
And as Kelce and Swift’s fanbases continue to merge, Olsen says it’s “probably to be expected” that some fans brought the Chiefs star Swift-themed merchandise, like a rubber duckie, to the event.
“Obviously, Travis is super gracious with his time and everything, and I think it’s great. There’s a whole new fan base. I mean, I have an 11 year old daughter, so I get it firsthand,” Olsen says of Kelce’s new supporters. “I think it’s great for everyone. I think it’s great for the game and the league and yeah, I think there was a lot of fans excited to see the guys.”
Moreover, Tight End University benefits the Nashville community, where Kittle and his wife Claire live in the offseason. “Nashville means a lot to them,” Olsen shares.
“I think a big element that we’re really proud of is that last year we gave about $600,000 to local Nashville Youth charities, and this year it could be upwards of $800,000,” says Olsen. “So I think that the impact of the event, aside from the football on just the local community, I think for us to be able to bring that event to Nashville and leave such a mark and leave hundreds of thousands of dollars to local youth charities in that area, I think is also meaningful.”
