Rob Gronkowski

Robert James Gronkowski (born May 14, 1989) is an American former professional football tight end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. Nicknamed "Gronk", Gronkowski played nine seasons for the New England Patriots, then played his final two seasons for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Regarded as one of the greatest tight ends of all time, he is a four-time Super Bowl champion (XLIX, LI, LIII, LV), a five-time Pro Bowl selection, a four-time first-team All-Pro selection, and was selected to the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team and NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team.

Gronkowski played college football for the Arizona Wildcats, earning third-team All-American honors as a sophomore in 2008. Despite playing only two collegiate seasons, his 18.8 yards per reception average and 1,197 receiving yards were team records for his position. The Patriots selected Gronkowski in the second round of the 2010 NFL draft, after he missed his junior year due to back surgery, immediately becoming a major contributor to the franchise's dynasty.

A complete tight end, he was considered elite as both a receiver and a blocker. He set several NFL records, including being the first player of his position to lead the league in receiving touchdowns (17 in 2011). Gronkowski also has the most combined receptions (23) and receiving yards (297) by a tight end in Super Bowl history. He is ranked first in average yards per target (9.9) and average touchdowns per game (0.69) among tight ends. Gronkowski also holds the Patriots franchise record of total receiving touchdowns (79).

Early life

Gronkowski was born in Amherst, New York, on May 14, 1989, and was raised in nearby Williamsville. He is the second youngest son of Gordon Gronkowski and Diane Walters. His father was a college football guard for Syracuse University from 1977 to 1981 and later founded a high-end fitness equipment business. He is a great-grandson of Ignatius Gronkowski, who represented the United States in cycling at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris, France, and held five world records in the sport. Gronkowski's parents divorced in 2008. His four brothers – Gordie, Dan, Chris, and Glenn – all played collegiate sports, and later played professionally.

Gronkowski played hockey until he was 14; he then started playing basketball. He attended Williamsville North High School (WNHS) for his first three years of high school, playing tight end and defensive end, as well as freshman kickoff specialist, supposedly due to his having the biggest feet on the team; center in basketball; and first baseman in baseball for the WNHS Spartans. As a junior playing football, he recorded 36 receptions for 648 yards and seven touchdowns on offense, and 73 tackles and six sacks on defense. He was named an All-Western New York first-team and All-State second-team player.

In 2006, Gronkowski moved to suburban Pittsburgh, where he attended Woodland Hills High School for his senior year. Initially ruled ineligible by the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League because of his transfer, he recorded eight receptions for 152 yards and four touchdowns at Woodland Hills after the ruling of ineligibility was overturned. He was named a SuperPrep All-American, PrepStar All-American, Associated Press Class 4-A all-state, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette "Fabulous 22", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette first-team all-conference, The Patriot-News (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania) "Platinum 33", and a Pittsburgh Tribune-Review "Terrific 25" player. He was recruited by Kentucky, Arizona, Clemson, Louisville, Maryland, Ohio State, and Syracuse. Gronkowski graduated from Woodland Hills in 2007 with a 3.75 GPA and 1560 out of 2400 SAT score.

College career

After graduating from high school, Gronkowski attended the University of Arizona as a Pre-Business major and played for the Arizona Wildcats football team from 2007 to 2009 under head coach Mike Stoops. As a freshman in 2007, he recorded 28 receptions for 525 yards and six touchdowns. His 18.8 yards per reception average was the best on the team and his receiving yards were a school record for a tight end. He was named The Sporting News freshman All-American, Rivals.com freshman All-American, The Sporting News freshman Pac-10, and All-Pac-10 honorable mention player.

Gronkowski missed the first three games of the 2008 season, but later recorded 47 receptions for 672 yards and a team-best ten touchdowns. Five of his touchdowns were scored in his first two games against UCLA and Washington. He was twice named the John Mackey National Tight End of the Week, including his performance in a failed comeback bid against Oregon, when he caught 12 passes for 143 yards. He set the school records for a tight end for single-game, single-season, and career receptions, yards, and touchdowns. Gronkowski was named an Associated Press third-team All-American and All-Pac-10 first-team tight end.

Prior to the 2009 season, Gronkowski was placed on the watchlist for the Lombardi Award. He missed his junior season in 2009 due to back surgery, which caused his draft stock to fall.

College statistics

Professional career

New England Patriots

2010 season

Gronkowski was drafted by the New England Patriots in the second round with the 42nd overall pick in the 2010 NFL draft, after a draft day trade with the Oakland Raiders; in pre-draft evaluations revealed in May 2016, Raiders scouts had rated Gronkowski as the "best all-around player in the draft". He became the highest drafted tight end out of Arizona, breaking the mark set by Brandon Manumaleuna in 2001. He signed a four-year contract on July 25, 2010. The deal was worth $4.4 million, with a $1.76 million signing bonus.

During the preseason, Gronkowski was one of three NFL players to score four touchdowns, tying Victor Cruz, a rookie wide receiver for the New York Giants, and Anthony Dixon, a running back for the San Francisco 49ers. In the Week 1 game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Gronkowski caught his first regular season touchdown in the fourth quarter on a one-yard pass from Tom Brady in the 38–24 victory.

In a Week 10 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, Gronkowski caught three touchdown passes from Brady, becoming the first rookie in Patriots history, and the youngest rookie in NFL history to accomplish this feat. In honor of the feat, Madden NFL 12 has a "Rob Gronkowski Award" for players who have a tight end catch three or more touchdowns in a single game.

Visiting his hometown of Buffalo in Week 16, Gronkowski caught two touchdowns against the Buffalo Bills. He recorded his first 100-yard receiving game with six receptions for 102 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown in the regular season finale against the Miami Dolphins to give him 10 on the season. In 16 games played, Gronkowski started 11 games and caught 42 passes for 546 yards. Despite missing his entire 2009 college season following back surgery, Gronkowski did not miss a single game or practice all season; he was the first rookie tight end since the NFL-AFL merger to score 10 touchdowns. The Patriots finished with 14–2 record and won the AFC East. In the playoffs, Gronkowski made his postseason debut against the New York Jets in the Divisional Round. In the 28–21 upset loss, he had four receptions for 65 receiving yards.

Gronkowski was nominated three times for Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week, in Weeks 10, 14, and 17, winning twice and losing in Week 10 to Tim Tebow. Gronkowski also finished fifth in fan balloting at tight end for the 2011 Pro Bowl, and fourth overall among rookies. Gronkowski received one writer's vote for the Associated Press 2010 All-Pro Team (writers only vote for one tight end). He was named to the NFL All-Rookie Team.

2011 season

Gronkowski caught his first touchdown of the 2011 season on a 10-yard pass from Tom Brady in the Patriots' Week 1 38–24 victory over the Miami Dolphins; Gronkowski's six catches accounted for 86 of Brady's franchise record 517 yards. In Week 2, against the San Diego Chargers, he had four receptions for 86 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns in the 35–21 victory. He followed that up with seven receptions for 109 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns in the 34–31 loss to the Buffalo Bills. Over the next four games, he totaled 19 receptions for 214 receiving yards in a 3–1 stretch for the Patriots. In Week 9, against the New York Giants, he had eight receptions for 101 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown in the 24–20 loss. In Week 10, against the New York Jets, he had eight receptions for 113 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns in the 37–16 victory. In Week 11, against the Kansas City Chiefs, Gronkowski caught two touchdown passes, including a career-long 52-yard catch and run, to equal his 2010 touchdown total in just ten games. He passed his reception and yardage totals from 2010 in only eight games.

Through Week 11, Gronkowski led all tight ends with 10 touchdowns; his 20 touchdowns were the most ever for a tight end in his first two seasons. His reception and receiving yardage totals both ranked second among tight ends (after Jimmy Graham of the New Orleans Saints), and in the top ten among all receivers, though they only ranked second on the Patriots, behind wide receiver Wes Welker.