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Dan Gronkowski

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Dan Gronkowski
refer to caption
Gronkowski with the Denver Broncos in 2011
No. 47, 82, 87
Position:Tight end
Personal information
Born: (1985-01-21) January 21, 1985 (age 39)
Amherst, New York, U.S.
Height:6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight:255 lb (116 kg)
Career information
High school:Williamsville (NY) North
College:Maryland
NFL draft:2009 / round: 7 / pick: 255
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career NFL statistics
Receptions:9
Receiving yards:69
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Daniel Thomas Gronkowski (born January 21, 1985) is an American former professional football tight end. He was selected by the Detroit Lions in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL draft, after playing college football at Maryland. He also played for the Denver Broncos, New England Patriots, and Cleveland Browns.

Early life

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Gronkowski was born in Amherst, New York to parents Gordon, and Diane Walters. His four brothers – Gordie, Chris, Rob, and Glenn – all played collegiate sports, and later played professionally.[1][2][3][4] His great-grandfather, Ignatius, was a member of the 1924 U.S. Olympic cycling team in Paris.[5]

Gronkowski attended Williamsville North High School where he played football, baseball, basketball, and ice hockey. He was a two-year starting quarterback and a one-year starting wide receiver. As a sophomore in 2001, he set a then-school record with 539 receiving yards. During his senior year in 2003, he completed 122 of 207 passes for 1,407 yards and 16 touchdowns, all of which were school records. He was named the league offensive Most Valuable Player.[6] He was recruited by Maryland, Arizona, Purdue, and Syracuse.[6]

Gronkowski has a bachelor's in Marketing, and has a master's in Business Administration.[7]

College career

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Gronkowski attended the University of Maryland and sat out the 2004 season as a redshirt. In 2005, he saw action in five games and made two receptions for 37 yards, including a career-long 25-yard touchdown reception from Sam Hollenbach. In 2006, he saw action in all 13 games including nine starts. He had two receptions for 11 yards. He received the George Boutselis Memorial Award for team's highest GPA. In 2007, Gronkowski played in 11 games including eight starts and caught seven passes for 66 yards. He received the team's C.P. "Lefty" McIntosh Award for public service.[6]

In 2008, he played in all 13 games and started in 12. He caught 29 passes for 287 yards and three touchdowns, including one matching his career-long 25-yard reception in 2005. He also some action on special teams and returned two kicks for eight and four yards.[8] He was named an honorable mention All-ACC player.[9]

He earned a degree in marketing and was pursuing an MBA when he was drafted. He was also in the process to be nominated as a Rhodes Scholar his final year at the University of Maryland.

Professional career

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Pre-draft

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 5+1⁄2 in
(1.97 m) 		255 lb
(116 kg) 		34+1⁄2 in
(0.88 m) 		10+1⁄2 in
(0.27 m)		 4.80 s 1.64 s 2.77 s 4.26 s 6.92 s 33.0 in
(0.84 m)		 10 ft 2 in
(3.10 m)		 26 reps
All values from NFL Combine[10][11]

Draft Countdown assessed him as the 21st-ranked tight end prospect for the 2009 NFL draft.[12] The NFL Draft Scout ranked him the 11th out of 96 tight end prospects and projected him as a fifth or sixth round selection.[13]

Detroit Lions

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Gronkowski was selected 255th overall (2nd to last) by the Detroit Lions in the 2009 NFL draft.[14] On June 25, 2009, he signed a three-year $1.21 million deal, which included a signing bonus of around $26,000.[15] He was waived on September 5, 2009, and signed to the Lions' practice squad a day later.

Gronkowski was promoted to the active roster on December 1, 2009, after tight end Brandon Pettigrew was placed on injured reserve due to a knee injury. He caught his first pass against the Baltimore Ravens on December 13. He was waived on December 17, and re-signed to Lions' practice squad on December 20.

After his practice squad contract expired, Gronkowski was signed to a future reserve contract on January 5, 2010.

Denver Broncos

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He was traded to the Denver Broncos on September 4, 2010, for cornerback Alphonso Smith.[16] He was released on September 3, 2011.

New England Patriots

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Gronkowski signed with the New England Patriots on September 6, 2011.[17] However, after playing in two games, he was waived on September 23. He re-signed with the team on October 10.[18] On November 8, 2011, Gronkowski was released for a second time.

Cleveland Browns

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After Browns tight end Alex Smith was placed on the Injured Reserve, the Browns signed Gronkowski to a one-year contract on December 20, 2011.[19] On August 31, 2012, he was released by the team but re-signed on January 3, 2013, to a futures deal.[20] He was released by the team again on August 30, 2013.[21]

Personal life

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After his NFL career, Gronkowski joined the family-run businesses including G&G Fitness and Gronk Fitness equipments where he is in charge of marketing and product development.[7] He married Brittany M. Blujus on July 9, 2011, in Amherst, New York.[22][23] They have four children.[24]

In early 2021 Gronkowski, along with his family, opened a NexGen Fitness franchise studio in Buffalo, New York. It is a high-end, boutique personal training franchise currently operating personal training studios in Texas, Oklahoma, New York, and other locations.[citation needed]

References

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  1. ^ Mees, Scott (February 5, 2012). "Pats' tight end almost played for Miners". The Southern Illinoisan. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  2. ^ "Player Bio: Dan Gronkowski". University of Maryland Athletics. Archived from the original on January 5, 2009. Retrieved January 12, 2009.
  3. ^ "San Diego Chargers sign fullback Chris Gronkowski". NFL.com. Associated Press. April 23, 2013. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  4. ^ Bergman, Jeremy (October 1, 2016). "Patriots add Glenn Gronkowski to practice squad". NFL.com. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  5. ^ "Rob Gronkowski - Official New England Patriots Biography". Archived from the original on September 1, 2010. Retrieved August 16, 2010.
  6. ^ a b c Player Bio: Dan Gronkowski Archived January 5, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, University of Maryland Terrapins football official website, retrieved January 12, 2009.
  7. ^ a b "Fame, Fortune, and the Business Side of the Gronkowski Family". G&G Fitness Equipment. Retrieved March 9, 2019.[permanent dead link‍]
  8. ^ 2008 Cumulative Season Statistics Archived October 19, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, University of Maryland Terrapins football official website, retrieved January 12, 2009.
  9. ^ Maryland Football Places Nine on All-ACC Teams – Terps join Boston College for most all-league honorees Archived December 3, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, University of Maryland Terrapins Football official website, December 1, 2008.
  10. ^ "Dan Gronkowski Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
  11. ^ "2009 Draft Scout Dan Gronkowski, Maryland NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
  12. ^ 2009 NFL Draft, Tight End Rankings Archived February 1, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, Draft Countdown, retrieved January 12, 2009.
  13. ^ Dan Gronkowski, Maryland, TE, NFL Draft Scout, retrieved April 7, 2009.
  14. ^ "2009 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
  15. ^ "Lions Sign Seventh-Rounder". Scout.com. Retrieved June 25, 2009.
  16. ^ Klis, Mike (September 4, 2010). "Broncos trade CB Alphonso Smith to Detroit for TE Gronkowski". The Denver Post. Retrieved September 5, 2010.
  17. ^ Walker, Monique. "Dan Gronkowski to join the Patriots". The Boston Globe. Retrieved September 6, 2011.
  18. ^ "Reunited (And It Feels So Good) - Bleacher Bum Sports". Retrieved April 8, 2019.
  19. ^ "After McCoy concussion, NFL issues new protocol".
  20. ^ "Browns drop one of the Brothers Gronk". profootballtalk.nbcsports.com. August 31, 2012. Retrieved August 31, 2012.
  21. ^ "Cleveland Browns cut seven players, including six rookies and TE Dan Gronkowski". August 31, 2013.
  22. ^ "Brittany M. Blujus and Daniel T. Gronkowski". Weddings. Buffalo News (New York). January 1, 2012. Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  23. ^ "Couple receive guests at Park Country Club". amherstbee.com. December 7, 2011. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
  24. ^ "Dan Gronkowski—What's He Doing Now?". Ice Shaker. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
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