By Cassie Kamens
Hey discover716 sports fans! Here is the second blog in the famous athletes from Buffalo series.
The Gronkowski Brothers may just be one of the most athletically capable families ever and they are from right here in Western New York. When you have 5 sons, the chances of one son being a professional athlete are higher but certainly not high, unless you are Diane Walters and Gordie Gronkowski then you will have one son play in the MLB and four play in the NFL. The chances of this happening are even less rare than winning the lottery twice!
Gordie Gronkowski Jr. June 26, 1983. He attended Williamsville North High School where he lettered in golf, basketball, and baseball. For college, Gordie attended Jacksonville University where he was an All-American Freshman on the baseball team playing first and third base. In 2006, Gordie was drafted into the MLB by the Los Angeles Angels. Then in 2008, he signed with Southern Illinois and played in the minor league for 6 years. Now Gordie leads Gronk Fitness brand expansion in Boston.
Dan Gronkowski was born on January 21, 1985. He attended Williamsville North High School where he played football, baseball, basketball, and ice hockey. In high school, Dan was a three year starter in football, one year as receiver and then two years at quarterback. He attended University of Maryland and focused on football. Dan earned a degree in marketing and was seeking his MBA when he was drafted into the NFL during the 2009 draft by the Detroit Lions. During his time in the NFL, Dan played for the Detroit Lions, Denver Broncos, and New England Patriots.
Chris Gronkowski was born on December 26, 1986 and attended Williamsville North High School. He was a three-year letter winner playing football and baseball. Like Dan, Chris attended the University of Maryland where he played fullback in 2005. Chris had the 8th highest strength index on the team, the best of all the running backs. In 2007, Chris transferred to the University of Arizona to play linebacker. In 2010, the Dallas Cowboys signed Chris and he made the 53 man roster. In 2011, Chris was picked up by the Indianapolis Colts who would trade him to the Denver Broncos. His last season in the NFL was with the San Diego Chargers after which he was waived due to an injury. Since his football career ended, he has started two businesses. Chris and his wife, Brittany own a company that does online engraving. Chris is also the creator and owner of a stainless steel shaker bottle.
Rob Gronkowski, also well known as Gronk, was born on May 14, 1989 and attended Williamsville North High School for three years. At Williamsville North he was named to the All-Western New York first-team and the All-State second team. In 2006, he moved to Pennsylvania and attended Woodland Hills High School where he was named SuperPrep All-American, PrepStart All-American, and Associated Press Class 4-A All-State. Gronk attended college at the University of Arizona where he averaged 18.8 yards per reception as a true freshman. In the 2010 NFL draft, Gronk was selected 42nd overall by the New England Patriots. After two standout seasons with the Patriots, they signed him to a deal worth $54 million, the largest ever for a tight end. With the Patriots Gronk won three Super Bowls(XLIX, LI, LIII). After taking a year off from the NFL, Gronk signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers along with superstar quarterback Tom Brady who he played with his whole career. In their first season back together and with a new team, they went on to win the Super Bowl in 2021 defeating the Kansas City Chiefs. Gronk is currently at training camp for his second season with the Buccaneers.
Glenn Gronkowski was born on March 25, 1993 and attended Williamsville North High School. As a senior in high school, Glenn was named Co-Offensive Player of the Year. Glenn attended Kansas State for college where he was named an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention and was named to the First-Team Academic All-Big 12 team. Glenn started in the NFL playing fullback for the Buffalo Bills but was waived before Week 2. He went on to sign with the New England Patriots practice squad and was with the team when they won the SuperBowl in Houston Texas. In 2017, the New England Patriots waived his contract.
Comments