Chris Gronkowski
 Gronkowski during his tenure with the Denver Broncos | |||||||||||||||
No. -- Free agent | |||||||||||||||
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| Fullback | |||||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Date of birth: December 26, 1986 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth: Buffalo, New York | |||||||||||||||
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Career information | |||||||||||||||
| College: Arizona | |||||||||||||||
| Undrafted in 2010 | |||||||||||||||
| Debuted in 2010 for the Dallas Cowboys | |||||||||||||||
Career history
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Career NFL statistics as of 2012 | |||||||||||||||
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Christopher Gronkowski (born December 26, 1986) is an American football fullback who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2010. He played college football at Arizona.
Early years
Gronkowski was born on December 26, 1986 in Buffalo, New York to Diane and Gordon Gronkowski.[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 are both NFL tight ends.[3] His father played three years as an offensive guard at Syracuse. 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 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
| 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 reps | N/A | |||||||||
| All values from 2010 Arizona Pro Day | |||||||||||||||||||
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, 2010, Gronkowski signed with the Cowboys.[6] On September 4, 2010, Gronkowski made it past the final cuts to join the 53 man roster.[7] He made his first career start on September 19, 2010 against the Chicago Bears. Also, his first career touchdown catch came in the same game on a one-yard pass from Tony Romo.[8] On October 25, 2010, in a Monday Night football game against the Giants, Gronkowski missed a blocking assignment on Michael Boley as he ran straight to Tony Romo and knocked him to the ground. Romo got the pass off to Miles Austin, but he suffered a fractured left clavicle, which ended Romo's 2010 season. He 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.
Indianapolis Colts
On September 4, 2011, Gronkowski was picked up by the Indianapolis Colts through waivers.
Denver Broncos
On May 23, 2012, Gronkowski was traded to the Denver Broncos in exchange for Cassius Vaughn.
San Diego Chargers
On April 23, 2013, Gronkowski signed with the San Diego Chargers.[9] On August 27, 2013, he was placed on the reserve/injured list.[10] On August 31, 2013, he was waived with an injury settlement.
References
- ↑ "Player Bio: Chris Gronkowski". Retrieved 2010-06-19.
- ↑ "Rob Gronkowski". Retrieved 2010-08-16.
- ↑ Walker, Monique. "Dan Gronkowski to join the Patriots". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 6 September 2011.
- ↑ "Player Bio: Chris Gronkowski". Retrieved 2010-06-20.
- ↑ "Chris Gronkowski Pro Day". Retrieved 2010-06-22.
- ↑ "17 Undrafted Rookies Agree To Terms". Dallascowboys.com. 2010-04-25. Retrieved 2010-07-10.
- ↑ "Chris Gronkowski makes team". Star Telegram. 2010-09-06. Retrieved 2010-09-19.
- ↑ "Chris Gronkowski first career touchdown". NFL.com. 2010-09-19. Retrieved 2010-09-19.
- ↑ Chargers sign Gronkowski
- ↑ Brinson, Will (August 27, 2013). "2013 NFL Roster Cuts: Tracking teams down to 75 Tuesday". CBSSports.com. Retrieved September 6, 2013.