Ignatius J. Gronkowski (March 28, 1897 – September 22, 1981) was an American professional cyclist. He held five world records for the 1/2-, 3/4-, 1.5-, and 2-mile distances. Gronkowski was born and raised in Buffalo, New York. He attended school at St. Stanislaus. He represented the United States at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris. Gronkowski was reluctant to travel to Paris and leave his wife and baby with the little money that he had saved. However, that June, his coworkers at the American Radiator Company plant presented him with $582.70 (), enabling him to make the trip. The American team performed worse than expected at the Olympics at least in part because they had to use French bicycles to which they were not accustomed. Gronkowski did not participate in the

1928 Summer Olympics The 1928 Summer Olympics ( nl, Olympische Zomerspelen 1928), officially known as the Games of the IX Olympiad ( nl, Spelen van de IXe Olympiade) and commonly known as Amsterdam 1928, was an international multi-sport event that was celebrated from ...

because there was no qualifying event held in the United States. After his racing career ended, he promoted the sport while working as a taxi driver. His great-grandsons include National Football League players Rob, Dan, Chris and

Glenn Gronkowski Glenn Thomas Gronkowski (born March 25, 1993) is an American football fullback who is currently a free agent. He played college football at Kansas State. After going undrafted in the 2016 NFL draft, Gronkowski was signed by the Buffalo Bills, an ...

References

1897 births 1981 deaths American male cyclists American people of Polish descent Olympic cyclists for the United States Cyclists at the 1924 Summer Olympics Sportspeople from Buffalo, New York Gronkowski family American taxi drivers {{US-cycling-bio-stub