page_title: Rob Gronkowski
section_title: 2015 season
hierarchical_section_title: Rob Gronkowski / Professional career / New England Patriots / 2015 season
caption_attribution_description: President Barack Obama jokes with tight end Rob Gronkowski, as he greets the New England Patriots in the State Dining Room, prior to an event to honor the team and their Super Bowl XLIX victory, at the White House, April 23, 2015. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
context_page_description: Robert James Gronkowski, nicknamed "Gronk", is an American football tight end for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League. He previously played nine seasons for the New England Patriots. He is a three-time Super Bowl champion, a five-time Pro Bowl selection, and a four-time First Team All-Pro selection, and was selected in the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team and NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team.
  Gronkowski played college football at the University of Arizona, winning several awards, including being named a Sporting News and Rivals.com Freshman All-American. Despite only playing two collegiate seasons, his 18.8 yards per reception average and 1,197 receiving yards were a team record for his position. The Patriots drafted Gronkowski in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft with the 42nd pick, after missing his junior year due to back surgery.
  Notable for being a skilled receiver and talented blocker, Gronkowski has set several NFL records, including being the only one of his position to ever lead the league in receiving touchdowns in 2011.
context_section_description: During the Patriots' home opener on Thursday Night Football against the Pittsburgh Steelers on September 10, 2015, Gronkowski caught five passes for 94 yards, scoring three of the Patriots' four touchdowns in their 28–21 victory. The three-touchdown performance was the third in Gronkowski's career, one shy of wide receiver Randy Moss's team record of four. It also made Gronkowski the first player in NFL history with multiple three-touchdown-reception games against the Steelers. Through the Patriots' first six games, all victories, Gronkowski recorded 34 receptions for 533 yards and six touchdowns. He added 113 yards and a touchdown on October 29 in a 36–7 win over the Miami Dolphins. In the Patriots' first loss of the season, on November 29, 2015, against the Denver Broncos, Gronkowski had to be carted off the field after a right knee injury in the fourth quarter. Initial reports said that the injury appeared to be less serious than it originally looked.
  After missing a week, Gronkowski returned for the Patriots' December 13 game against the Houston Texans. He caught four passes for 87 yards and a touchdown, for a total of 10 touchdowns and 1,018 yards on the season. The Patriots won, 27–6, to snap a two-game losing streak.
  On December 20, Gronkowski caught five passes for 54 yards and one touchdown in a 33–16 win over the Tennessee Titans. He dedicated the touchdown to his friend Dana Parenteau, who had died at the age of 43 two days earlier.
  In the Patriots' 27–20 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in the Divisional Round, Gronkowski caught seven passes for 83 yards and two touchdowns. In the AFC Championship, a 20–18 loss to the Denver Broncos, Gronkowski led all receivers with eight catches for 144 yards and a receiving touchdown. Gronkowski had the Patriots' final touchdown to put the Patriots within two points, but the resulting two-point conversion was unsuccessful.
  Gronkowski was selected to the Pro Bowl and to the AP All-Pro first team for the fourth time in his career; he led all non-quarterbacks in fan voting for the Pro Bowl, and received 48 of 50 All-Pro votes at tight end. He was ranked as the ninth best player on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2016.
caption: Gronkowski with then US President Barack Obama at an event to honor the team and their Super Bowl XLIX victory, at the White House on April 23, 2015.
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