4x Super Bowl champ Rob Gronkowski donates $400,000 to alma mater Woodland Hills High School for equipment enhancement

Rob Gronkowski recently helped his alma mater, Woodland Hills High School, build a modern gym by donating a generous amount.

4x Super Bowl champ Rob Gronkowski donates $400,000 to alma mater Woodland Hills High School for equipment enhancement

Rob Gronkowski (Image via IMAGO)

Rob Gronkowski, an Amherst, New York, native, studied at local Williamsville High for three years before moving to the Pennsylvania suburbs to study at Woodlands Hill High School. Besides learning his trade as a tight end, defensive end, and kickoff specialist, Gronk also tried his hand at hockey and basketball but chose football as his main sport.

Initially, the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League branded him ineligible to play because of the transfer, but after he caught 8 passes for 152 yards and four touchdowns in a game, they withdrew their decision. Gronkowski played only one year at Woodlands Hill before committing to the Arizona Wildcats in 2007.

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Nearly 18 years later, Rob Gronkowski gave a generous donation to his school. According to a report from WTAE Action News 4’s Caitlyn Scott, the 35-year-old helped build a state-of-the-art gym that cost nearly $400,000.

Rob Gronkowski nearly played for a different team in college

Gronk may have set college football on fire with Arizona, but the Wildcats were fortunate to secure him because he nearly committed to a different team. After finishing school at Woodland Hill High, Gronkowski wanted to move back near his hometown and play for his childhood favorite team, the Buffalo Bulls.

4x Super Bowl champ Rob Gronkowski donates $400,000 to alma mater Woodland Hills High School for equipment enhancement
Rob Gronkowski spikes the ball after scoring a touchdown for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Image via IMAGO)

The reason behind him choosing the Wildcats over the Bulls was his father’s friend Donnie Salum. Salum and his father worked in the same fitness equipment sales industry. They met at a convention and became good friends with each other’s family.

Salum was a linebacker for the Wildcats back in the ‘80s, and he saw potential in Gronk. He encouraged Rob to flip from going to Buffalo and commit to Arizona. A tour of the facilities at the University of Arizona made a massive impression on him.

I was a sophomore in high school just to see what it was like. And I got to the campus, and I was like, Goddamn, man, what kind of school is this! … They got pools, they got palm trees, I mean it’s sunny every single day, it’s 90°, and that’s when I first fell in love with the University of Arizona.

Rob Gronkowski told his former New England Patriots teammate Julian Edelman about his visit in a November 2024 episode of the ‘Dudes on Dudes’ podcast

Gronkowski played two seasons at Arizona, recording 75 receptions for 1197 yards and 16 touchdowns. A back surgery kept him out for the rest of his junior year of college. He announced for the draft the following year, but because of the injury and missed playing time, his draft stock fell. The New England Patriots ended up selecting him in the second round (42nd overall pick).

Career in the NFL

Gronkowski played nine seasons for the Patriots, winning three Super Bowls alongside Julian Edelman and Tom Brady. He announced his retirement in March 2019. Even though he was in peak athletic condition, the love for the game was slowly phasing out of his soul.

Football was bringing me down, and I didn’t like it. I was losing that joy in life… I could play right now if I wanted to play, physically, I could do it [but] mentally-wise, desire-wise, [love for football] it’s not there.

Rob Gronkowski said (ht/ESPN)

After taking a break for one year, Gronk returned to football. He answered the call from Brady, who left the Patriots to sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He played two seasons in Tampa before retiring permanently in 2022.

Gronkowski appeared in 142 total games throughout his professional career. He racked up 621 receptions for 9286 yards and 92 touchdowns in the regular season. In the postseason, he played 22 games, catching 98 passes for 1389 yards and 15 touchdowns. He was a 4x All-Pro, 5x Pro Bowler, receiving yards leader in 2011, and 2014 Comeback Player of the Year.