Rob Gronkowski: Difference between revisions
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====2011 season==== |
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Gronkowski scored his first touchdown of the 2011 season in the second quarter of the Patriots' Week 1 victory over the [[Miami Dolphins]] on a 10-yard pass from [[Tom Brady]]. Gronkowski caught 6 passes for 86 yards and one touchdown as Brady threw for a franchise record 517 yards and four touchdowns. |
Gronkowski scored his first touchdown of the 2011 season in the second quarter of the Patriots' Week 1 victory over the [[Miami Dolphins]] on a 10-yard pass from [[Tom Brady]]. Gronkowski caught 6 passes for 86 yards and one touchdown as Brady threw for a franchise record 517 yards and four touchdowns. |
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In October 2011 Rob posed for a photo with adult film star Bibi Jones, Gronkowski was topless and Jones was wearing his jersey. The photo was posted by the 6'4" new yorker via his Twitter account and caused some unwelcome media attention. |
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==References== |
==References== |
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Revision as of 15:50, 31 October 2011
| New England Patriots | |||||||||
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| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | May 14, 1989 Amherst, New York | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| College: | Arizona | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2010 / Round: 2 / Pick: 42 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of Week 3, 2011 | |||||||||
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Rob Gronkowski (born May 14, 1989) is an American football tight end for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Patriots in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Arizona.
Early years
Gronkowski was born on May 14, 1989 in Amherst, New York to parents Gordon Gronkowski and Diane Gronkowski.[1] His father started for three years as an offensive guard at Syracuse. His great-grandfather, Ignatius, was a member of the 1924 U.S. Olympic cycling team in Paris.[2] Gronkowski is the second-youngest of five brothers. The eldest, Gordie, Jr., played baseball at Jacksonville University and was on the Worcester Tornadoes' 2011 roster. Chris, played football for two years at Maryland before transferring to Arizona, and is now the starting fullback for the Indianapolis Colts. Dan, played as a tight end at Maryland and was selected in the 2009 NFL Draft, and is currently a teammate of Gronkowski's in New England. The youngest brother, Glenn, is attending Kansas State University.[3]
Gronkowski was raised in Williamsville, New York near Buffalo and attended Williamsville North High School for three years. He played football as a tight end and basketball as a center. As a junior, he recorded 36 receptions for 648 yards and seven touchdowns, and 73 tackles and six sacks on defense. He was named an All-Western New York first-team and All-State second-team player.[1]
In 2006, he moved to Pennsylvania, where he attended Woodland Hills High School as a senior. He was initially ruled ineligible by the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League,[4] but that ruling was overturned and Gronkowski recorded eight receptions for 152 yards and four touchdowns at Woodland Hills. 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, PA) "Platinum 33", and a Pittsburgh Tribune-Review "Terrific 25" player.[1] He was recruited by Arizona, Clemson, Louisville, Maryland, Ohio State, and Syracuse.[5]
College career
Following high school, Gronkowski attended the University of Arizona. As a true freshman in 2007, Gronkowski 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 then school record for a tight end. He was named a The Sporting News freshman All-American, Rivals.com freshman All-American, The Sporting News freshman Pac-10, and All-Pac-10 honorable mention player.[1]
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. He was twice named the John Mackey National Tight End of the Week, including for his performance in a failed comeback bid against Oregon, where he caught 12 passes for 143 yards. He set the school tight end records 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.[1]
Prior to the 2009 season, he was named to the Lombardi Award watchlist for the most outstanding college football lineman or linebacker.[6]
Professional career
Pre-draft
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Broad jump | Bench press | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
264 lb (120 kg) |
34+1⁄4 in (0.87 m) |
10+3⁄4 in (0.27 m) |
4.65 s | 4.47 s | 7.18 s | 9 ft 11 in (3.02 m) |
23 reps | ||||
| All values from NFL Scouting Combine.[7] | ||||||||||||
New England Patriots
Gronkowski was drafted by the New England Patriots in the second round (42nd overall) of the 2010 NFL Draft. He signed a four-year contract on July 25, 2010.[8]
2010 season
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. On one of those touchdowns, a 14-yard pass from Tom Brady, Gronkowski dragged St. Louis Rams linebacker James Laurinaitis several yards before diving into the end zone. In the Week 1 game against Cincinnati, Gronkowski caught his first regular season touchdown in the fourth quarter on a one-yard pass from Brady.
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 the feat.[9] (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.)
Returning to his home city of Buffalo in Week 16, Gronkowski caught two touchdowns against the Buffalo Bills, giving him nine touchdown catches on the season. He added a touchdown in the season finale, giving him 10 on the season, and making him the first rookie tight end since the NFL-AFL merger to score 10 touchdowns. In 16 games played (11 starts), Gronkowski 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.[10]
Gronkowski was nominated three times for Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week, in Weeks 10, 14, and 17, losing in Week 10 to Tim Tebow, and winning in Weeks 14 and 17. Gronkowski also finished fifth in fan balloting at tight end for the 2011 Pro Bowl, and fourth overall among rookies.[11] Gronkowski also received one writer's vote for the Associated Press 2010 All-Pro Team (writers only vote for one tight end).
2011 season
Gronkowski scored his first touchdown of the 2011 season in the second quarter of the Patriots' Week 1 victory over the Miami Dolphins on a 10-yard pass from Tom Brady. Gronkowski caught 6 passes for 86 yards and one touchdown as Brady threw for a franchise record 517 yards and four touchdowns.
In October 2011 Rob posed for a photo with adult film star Bibi Jones, Gronkowski was topless and Jones was wearing his jersey. The photo was posted by the 6'4" new yorker via his Twitter account and caused some unwelcome media attention.
References
- ^ a b c d e "Player Bio: Rob Gronkowski". University of Arizona. Retrieved 2009-04-30.
- ^ "Rob Gronkowski - Official New England Patriots Biography". Retrieved 2010-08-16.
- ^ "Player Bio: Dan Gronkowski". University of Maryland. Retrieved 2009-01-12.
- ^ "WPIAL benches high school football transfer". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 2006-08-26. Retrieved 2010-11-17.
- ^ "Rob Gronkowski Profile". Scout.com. Retrieved 2009-04-30.
- ^ "Gronkowski on Early National Radar". University of Arizona. 2009-03-02. Retrieved 2010-04-27.
- ^ "Rob Gronkowski Combine Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved 2010-02-27..
- ^ Reiss, Mike (2010-07-25). "Gronkowski signs rookie deal". ESPNBoston.com. Retrieved 2010-07-25.
- ^ "Player Game Finder Query Results". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved 2010-11-17.
- ^ [1]
- ^ Reiss, Mike (2010-12-22). "Where Pats rank in fan Pro Bowl voting". ESPNBoston.com. Retrieved 2010-12-22.