Christopher Michael Gronkowski (born December 26, 1986) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

Fullback Fullback or Full back may refer to: Sports * A position in various kinds of football, including: ** Full-back (association football), in association football (soccer), a defender playing in a wide position ** Fullback (gridiron football), in Americ ...

. He went undrafted in the

2010 NFL Draft The 2010 NFL Draft was the 75th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The 2010 draft took place over three days, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, with the firs ...

after playing

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory. T ...

. He was eventually signed by the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...

in 2010,

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...

in 2011, and the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...

in 2012. He is notable for pitching his company on ABC's Shark Tank and landing a deal with Mark Cuban and Alex Rodriguez.

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. His great-grandfather,

Ignatius Ignatius is a male given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include: Given name Religious * Ignatius of Antioch (35–108), saint and martyr, Apostolic Father, early Christian bishop * Ignatius of Constantinople (797–877), Cath ...

, was a member of the 1924 U.S. Olympic cycling team in Paris. His brothers

Dan Dan or DAN may refer to: People * Dan (name), including a list of people with the name ** Dan (king), several kings of Denmark * Dan people, an ethnic group located in West Africa **Dan language, a Mande language spoken primarily in Côte d'Ivoir ...

, Rob and Glenn were also in the NFL.

Football

College football

Gronkowski accepted a football scholarship from the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...

, with the intention of being played at

fullback Fullback or Full back may refer to: Sports * A position in various kinds of football, including: ** Full-back (association football), in association football (soccer), a defender playing in a wide position ** Fullback (gridiron football), in Americ ...

. He was

redshirted Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...

in 2005. In January 2007, he transferred to the

. As a sophomore, he played

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...

but did not record any stat. As a fourth year junior in 2008, he started 7 games, while making 8 receptions for 198 yards, 3 touchdowns and a team leading 24.8-yard per reception average. He served primarily as a backfield blocking specialist from the H-back position. He was named second-team Academic All-Pac-10. As a fifth year senior in 2009, he started 7 out of 13 games, tallying 4 catches for 20 yards and 2 carries for one yard. He was named honorable-mention Academic All-Pac-10. He finished his college career after starting 15 out of 26 games, collecting 12 receptions for 218 yards (18.2-yard avg.), 2 carries for one yard and 3 receiving touchdowns.

Professional football

Pre-Draft

Dallas Cowboys

Gronkowski did not attend the

NFL Scouting Combine The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Footb ...

, though his brother Rob did. He declared for the

and was projected as high as the 4th round, but went undrafted. On April 25, he signed with the

. On September 4, he made the 53 man roster for insurance purposes in case fullback

Deon Anderson Deon Terry Anderson (born January 27, 1983) is a former American football fullback in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins. He was drafted in the sixth round of the 2007 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys. He pla ...

's injuries persisted. He made his first career start on September 19, against the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

. His first career touchdown catch came in the same game on a one-yard pass from

Tony Romo Antonio Ramiro Romo (born April 21, 1980) is an American sportscaster and former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at Eastern Illino ...

. He became the full-time starter at fullback after Anderson was released on September 24. On October 25, in a ''

Monday Night Football ''ESPN Monday Night Football'' (abbreviated as ''MNF'' and also known as ''ESPN Monday Night Football on ABC'' for simulcasts) is an American live television broadcast of weekly National Football League (NFL) games currently airing on ESPN, AB ...

'' game against the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

, Gronkowski missed a blitz pickup on

Michael Boley Michael Jerome Boley (born August 24, 1982) is a former American football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Southern Miss and was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the fifth round of the 20 ...

, as he ran straight to

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

and hit him high. Romo got the pass off to

Miles Austin Miles Jonathon Austin III (born June 30, 1984) is an American football coach and former wide receiver who is the wide receivers coach for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He previously played in the NFL for 10 seasons, ...

, but he suffered a fractured left clavicle, which ended his season. Gronkowski was active for 14 of the 16 games and started 7 times as a rookie. He was inconsistent as a lead blocker, while posting 5 carries for 17 yards, 7 receptions for 35 yards and one touchdown. He was waived on September 3, 2011.

Indianapolis Colts

On September 4, 2011, Gronkowski was claimed off waivers by the

. On October 25, he was placed on the

injured reserve list The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...

with a pectoral injury.

Denver Broncos

On May 23, 2012, Gronkowski was traded to the

in exchange for

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create tur ...

Cassius Vaughn Cassius M. Vaughn (born November 3, 1987) is a former Canadian football defensive back. He was signed by the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2010. He played college football at Ole Miss. In the NFL, Vaughn has also played for the In ...

. He appeared in 14 games as a backup, making one reception for 11 yards and had no rushing attempts. He wasn't re-signed after the season.

San Diego Chargers

On April 23, 2013, Gronkowski signed with the

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...

as a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

. On August 27, he was placed on the

with an ankle injury. On August 31, he was waived with an injury settlement.

Personal life

In July 2015, Gronkowski married Brittany Bieber. They have three sons. After being waived by the San Diego Chargers he founded Ice Shaker, company that makes kitchen-grade stainless steel insulated bottles in 2017. Gronkowski pitched the business, with the help of his brothers, on an episode of ''

Shark Tank ''Shark Tank'' is an American business reality television series that premiered on August 9, 2009, on ABC.Hibberd, James (May 10, 201'Dancing,' 'Bachelor,' and a bigger 'Shark Tank' returning to ABCInsider TV. Retrieved June 24, 2012 The show i ...

.'' He made a deal with

Mark Cuban Mark Cuban (born July 31, 1958) is an American billionaire entrepreneur, television personality, and media proprietor whose net worth is an estimated $4.8 billion, according to ''Forbes'', and ranked No. 177 on the 2020 ''Forbes'' 400 list ...

and guest shark

Alex Rodriguez Alexander Emmanuel Rodriguez (born July 27, 1975), nicknamed "A-Rod", is an American former professional baseball shortstop and third baseman, businessman and philanthropist. Rodriguez played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the ...

for $150,000 in exchange for 15% equity. In 2018, Gronkowski stated that his company had over $3 million in sales that he attributes to the product being featured on Shark Tank. Gronkowski is active in the family's fitness company Gronk Fitness, promoting fitness equipment sales and workout routines.

References

External links

Maryland Terrapins bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gronkowski, Chris 1986 births Living people People from Williamsville, New York 21st-century American businesspeople Players of American football from Buffalo, New York American people of Polish descent American football fullbacks Maryland Terrapins football players Arizona Wildcats football players Dallas Cowboys players Indianapolis Colts players Denver Broncos players San Diego Chargers players Gronkowski family