| File:Chris Gronkowski.JPG Gronkowski with the Broncos in 2012 | |||||||||||||||
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| Position: | Fullback | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born: | December 26, 1986 Buffalo, New York | ||||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 245 lb (111 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school: | Williamsville (NY) North | ||||||||||||||
| College: | Arizona | ||||||||||||||
| Undrafted: | 2010 | ||||||||||||||
Career history
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Career highlights and awards
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||
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Christopher Michael Gronkowski (born December 26, 1986) is an American businessman and former football fullback who played in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos and Indianapolis Colts. He played college football at the University of Arizona.
Early years[]
Gronkowski was born on December 26, 1986, in Buffalo, New York, to Diane Walters and Gordon Gronkowski, who played three years as an offensive guard at Syracuse.[1] His great-grandfather, Ignatius Gronkowski, was a member of the 1924 U.S. Olympic cycling team in Paris.[2] His younger brother Rob and his older brother Dan were both NFL tight ends, while his younger brother Glenn was a fullback in the NFL.[3] He attended Williamsville North High School in Williamsville, New York where he was a three-year letterwinner playing football and baseball. He averaged 6.2 yards per carry and recorded 453 receiving yards his senior year. He also forced 4 fumbles and recorded 82 tackles and 2 touchdowns on defense.
College career[]
Gronkowski was recruited to Maryland as a fullback in 2005, but redshirted his freshman year. His redshirt freshman season in 2006, he worked his way up into the fullback rotation. He had the eighth highest strength index on the team which was the best among running backs.[4]
In his redshirt sophomore season in 2007, he transferred to the University of Arizona where he played linebacker. He went back to the starting fullback position in 2008 as a fourth year junior, as he recorded 8 receptions for 198 yards and 3 touchdowns. He was also the Second Team All-Pac-10 Academic Football Team. In 2009, as a fifth year senior, he recorded 4 catches for 20 yards.
Professional career[]
Pre-Draft[5][]
| Ht | Wt | 40-yd dash | 10-yd split | 20-yd split | 20-ss | 3-cone | Vert | Broad | BP | Wonderlic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 2 in | 238 lb | 4.71 s | 1.64 s | 2.73 s | 4.37 s | 7.16 s | 34½ in | 10 ft 3 in | 24 rep | N/A |
Dallas Cowboys[]
2010 season[]
Gronkowski did not attend the NFL Scouting Combine in 2010, though his brother Rob did. He declared for the 2010 NFL Draft and was projected as high as the 4th round, but went undrafted. One day after the draft, on April 25, Gronkowski signed with the Dallas Cowboys.[6] On September 4, he made the 53 man roster after passing an injured Deon Anderson on the depth chart.[7] He made his first career start on September 19, against the Chicago Bears. His first career touchdown catch came in the same game on a one-yard pass from Tony Romo.
On October 25, in a Monday Night Football game against the New York Giants, Gronkowski missed a blitz pickup on Michael Boley as he ran straight to Romo and hit him high. Romo got the pass off to Miles Austin, but he suffered a fractured left clavicle, which ended his season.[8] Gronkowski started 7 out of 14 games and finished the season with 17 rushing yards on 5 carries and 7 catches for 35 yards and a touchdown. He was waived on September 3, 2011.[9]
Indianapolis Colts[]
On September 4, 2011, Gronkowski was claimed off waivers by the Indianapolis Colts. On October 25, he was placed on the injured reserve list with a pectoral injury.
Denver Broncos[]
On May 23, 2012, Gronkowski was traded to the Denver Broncos in exchange for cornerback Cassius Vaughn. He appeared in 14 games and wasn't re-signed after the season.
San Diego Chargers[]
On April 23 2013 Gronkowski signed with the San Diego Chargers as a free agent .[10] On August 27, he was placed on the reserve/injured list.[11] On August 31, he was waived with an injury settlement.
Business[]
After leaving his professional football career, Gronkowski joined the family-run businesses including Gronk Fitness.[12] In 2017, he founded Ice Shaker, a company that makes kitchen-grade stainless steel insulated shaker bottles.[13] Gronkowski pitched the business with his brothers on an episode of Shark Tank. He made a deal with Mark Cuban and guest shark Alex Rodriguez for $150,000 in exchange for 15% equity.[14]
Personal life[]
In July 2015, Gronkowski married to Brittany Bieber;[15] they have two sons.[16]
References[]
- ↑ "Player Bio: Chris Gronkowski". http://www.arizonawildcats.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/gronkowski_chris00.html. Retrieved June 19, 2010.
- ↑ "Rob Gronkowski". http://www.patriots.com/team/players/roster/rob-gronkowski. Retrieved August 16, 2010.
- ↑ Walker, Monique. "Dan Gronkowski to join the Patriots". The Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/sports/extra-points/2011/09/06/dan_gronkowski. Retrieved September 6, 2011.
- ↑ "Player Bio: Chris Gronkowski". http://www.umterps.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=208127182. Retrieved June 20, 2010.
- ↑ "Chris Gronkowski Pro Day". http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/dsprofile.php?pyid=85693&draftyear=2010&genpos=FB. Retrieved June 22, 2010.
- ↑ "Cowboys sign undrafted free agents". ESPN.com. April 25, 2010. http://www.espn.com/blog/dallas/cowboys/post/_/id/4667919/cowboys-sign-undrafted-free-agents. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
- ↑ "Chris Gronkowski makes team". Star Telegram. September 6, 2010. http://sportsblogs.star-telegram.com/cowboys/2010/09/rookie-relief.html. Retrieved September 19, 2010.
- ↑ "Cowboys bench FB Chris Gronkowski". ESPN.com. October 31, 2015. http://www.espn.com/blog/dallas/cowboys/post/_/id/4673833/cowboys-bench-fb-chris-gronkowski. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
- ↑ "Cowboys cut FB Chris Gronkowski". ESPN.com. September 3, 2011. http://www.espn.com/blog/dallas-cowboys/post/_/id/4682991/cowboys-cut-fb-chris-gronkowski. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
- ↑ "Chargers sign Gronkowski". http://www.chargers.com/news/2013/04/23/chargers-sign-gronkowski-0.
- ↑ Brinson, Will (August 27, 2013). "2013 NFL Roster Cuts: Tracking teams down to 75 Tuesday". http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/2013-nfl-roster-cuts-tracking-teams-down-to-75-tuesday/. Retrieved September 6, 2013.
- ↑ "FAME, FORTUNE, AND THE BUSINESS SIDE OF THE GRONKOWSKI FAMILY". https://livefit.com/blogs/news/fame-fortune-and-the-business-side-of-the-gronkowski-family.
- ↑ Gronknation.com
- ↑ "Gronkowski brothers land 'Shark Tank' investments from Alex Rodriguez, Mark Cuban". Sporting News. October 16, 2017. http://www.sportingnews.com/nfl/news/gronkowski-shark-tank-investments-alex-rodriguez-mark-cuban-ice-shaker/t57li2jexut81o6s5jldqeq27.
- ↑ Yan, Renee (December 17, 2018). "Everything Decorated in Colleyville creates gifts with meaning" (in en-US). https://communityimpact.com/dallas-fort-worth/grapevine-colleyville-southlake/business/2018/12/17/everything-decorated-in-colleyville-creates-gifts-with-meaning/.
- ↑ Montag, Ali (September 26, 2018). "Ex-NFL player, Ice Shaker founder Chris Gronkowski's morning routine". https://www.cnbc.com/2018/09/26/ex-nfl-player-ice-shaker-founder-chris-gronkowskis-morning-routine.html.
External links[]
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