In 2006, Rob Gronkowski took a recruiting visit to Ohio State and had a photo taken of him on the sideline ahead of the game — which was photobombed. In attendance at No. 1 Ohio State’s matchup against Penn State on Saturday, Gronkowski talked about and recreated that photo during “Big Noon Kickoff.”
“I remember a lot about that day,” Gronkowski said. “It was 19 years ago when I took a visit here to the Ohio State University. I went out with a couple of my friends. We got overserved too many juices. We got no sleep, and then I came to the game the next morning, and you could tell I was hurting just a little bit. But I still watched the game, and I still enjoyed it. I actually went to Arizona. I loved the school. I loved the people here at Ohio State, but I just felt like Arizona was a better fit for me.
“And, on top of that photo, someone was crashing it in the back, and I got my man [Jeff] here once again. We finally get to meet because this photo’s been going viral for years now.”
Jeff, the person who’s on the right side of the recruiting photo, said people talk to him about the picture “all the time.” As for the 2006 game that Gronkowski attended, No. 1 Ohio State beat No. 2 Michigan at Ohio Stadium, 42-39.
In Gronkowski’s college career, the tight end averaged 37.5 receptions for 598.5 yards and eight touchdowns per season at Arizona from 2007-08, including a Pac-10-high 10 receiving touchdowns in 2008. After missing the 2009 collegiate season due to a back injury, Gronkowski was selected by the New England Patriots with the No. 42 pick in the 2010 NFL Draft — and the rest is history.
Helping the Patriots win three Super Bowls (2014, 2016 and 2018) and winning a fourth championship with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2020), Gronkowski stands third among tight ends all time in receiving touchdowns (92), sixth in receiving yards (9,286) and 10th in receptions (621).
Now, he’s a studio analyst for “FOX NFL Sunday.”
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