Rob Gronkowski

Background

Robert James Gronkowski’s popularity knows no bounds, and every day he wins more hearts with both his talent and his larger-than-life personality. He makes his job on the field look easy, but acquiring his talent and getting where he is today has taken him many years and a lot of effort. Gronkowski was born on May 14, 1989, in Amherst, New York. His zodiac sign is Taurus and his ethnicity is Polish. He is the son of Diane Walters and Gordon Gronkowski, a former college football guard, and has four brothers who have also played football professionally.

Up to the age of 14, Gronkowski preferred playing hockey over basketball. He participated in athletics for the school while he was in high school, playing tight end, defensive end, and freshman kickoff specialist in football. He also played basketball (center), baseball (first baseman), and basketball after his family relocated to Pennsylvania. During this time, Gronkowski won several awards, including first-team All-Western New York, SuperPrep All-American, and Associated Press Class 4-A All-State selections. Gronkowski graduated from high school in 2007 and was pursued by numerous institutions, but he decided to enroll at the University of Arizona.

He majored in pre-business while in college, and from 2007 to 2009, he played football for the Arizona Wildcats. As a rookie, he had the highest average receiving yardage of any player on the squad with 18.8. He had back surgery in 2009, causing him to miss his junior season. In the 2010 N.F.L. Draft, the New England Patriots selected Gronkowski, who later agreed to a four-year deal. He set a new N.F.L. record for the most touchdowns scored by a tight end in a single season in 2011 and was also recognized as N.F.L.com’s Hardest Working Man and the A.F.C. Offensive Player of the Week. The New York Giants defeated the Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI; Gronkowski sprained his ankle and needed surgery after an M.R.I. revealed he had strained ligaments. Gronkowski signed a six-year extension to his contract in June 2012. The Patriots again won the A.F.C. East in 2014, and Gronkowski received First Team-All-Pro and Pro Bowl nominations.

His performance during the 2014 season earned him the ‘Comeback Player of the Year’ award at the 2015 E.S.P.Y Awards. In that same year, the Patriots defeated the Seattle Seahawks to win Super Bowl X.L.I.X. In 2016, he injured his hamstring, suffered a pulmonary contusion, and had back surgery. He was on injured reserve in early 2017, when the Patriots scored 34–28 against the Atlanta Falcons to win Super Bowl L.I.

Gronkowski was named to the Associated Press All-Pro First Team in January 2018. The Patriots lost Super Bowl LII against the Philadelphia Eagles the following month, 33-41. The team won Super Bowl LIII, defeating the Los Angeles Rams 13-three, with Gronkowski setting a Super Bowl record for yards and catches by a tight end with 297 yards and 23 catches. Gronkowski announced his retirement on March 24, 2019, at the age of 29, claiming the toll his numerous injuries had taken on his mental health and stating that while he could physically play, he would no longer feel the joy of playing. However, the Patriots traded his rights to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers a year later, where he reconnected with former Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.

The Buccaneers made it to the Super Bowl LV, where they not only won against the Kansas City Chiefs but a record was set by Brady and Gronkowski for most postseason touchdowns between a quarterback and receiver, with 14. In 2021, Gronkowski re-signed a one-year deal with the Buccaneers.