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Growing Up Gronk: A Family's Story of Raising Champions
Huge boys, huge dreams, huge success—how one family from Buffalo put five boys on the track to realizing their athletic potential and making it “big.” “The beauty of Growing Up Gronk is that you never really have to grow up at all. A fascinating look inside a larger-than-life football family.” —Dan Shaughnessy, bestselling author of The Red Sox Years It is so statistically unlikely as to be almost unbelievable. Somehow, the Gronkowski family has produced three sons who play in the NFL (Rob, Chris, and Dan), one who was drafted into Major League Baseball (Gordie Jr.), and another who is the starting fullback for Kansas State (Goose). Their father, Gordy, even played college football for Syracuse. How did it happen? From an early age, Gordy realized the potential his sons had and worked with them to make the most of it. Beyond their monstrous size, physicality, and raw talent, he instilled in them a commitment to fitness, health, drive, and determination that would give his boys a leg up in ways other families simply couldn’t match. And the boys’ motivation certainly wasn’t something solely triggered by a driven father. They were like a pack of adolescent wolves readying themselves for the recruiting hunt. Still, all were honor roll students; the three oldest earned college degrees. Each was motivated and inspired by his brothers. Competition and bragging rights were—and continue to be—a big part of what makes the Gronkowskis tick. Growing Up Gronk reveals the secrets to the Gronkowskis’ astonishing collective success while opening the door to a lively, entertaining, one-of-a-kind household.
225 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2013
21 people are currently reading
122 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 27, 2013
3.5 stars. I know Gordy and Diane are no longer married but the book would have been so much more well rounded had we got to hear Diane's perspective. There was a piece of the puzzle missing for me and it was not getting to hear Gronk's mother's memories of raising 5 athletes. It was still fun read though.
July 13, 2022
I really don’t know why anyone would be particularly interested in this book, unless maybe they are a diehard New England Patriots fan, like me. It is mostly a vanity project for Gordy Gronkowski, the father of five amazing athletes. His five sons have all achieved a great deal of success in sports, with three making to the National Football League, one who played professional baseball, and the youngest is an up and coming star in his own right.
This book talks about how his sons achieved that success. Beyond being naturally gifted athletes Gordy appears to be a somewhat obsessed workout junkie and had his five sons competing with each other in the basement using a workout regime created by Gordy himself. He created five workout junkies in his own image who were motivated by their father but also by their competition with each other. This healthy competition resulted in a clan of professional athletes.
The book also provides some details on what their family life was like growing up and how their incredible mother managed to rein in five Gronks (six if you count the father) and cook and clean and drive them around to all their various sporting events. She is a bit in the background in the book, for the most part, but clearly a hero in her own right.
While the book is not just about Rob Gronkowski he does get more air time here, which is only fair as he is the most successful of the five Gronks. As a tight end for the New England Patriots he’s had a few monster seasons and could potentially be one of the greatest tight ends of all time. Unfortunately, his history of injuries, especially recently, will probably derail that dream. He is described as a bit of a fun loving goofball but a hard worker dedicated to being his best. But the rest of the brothers get their just due as well and we get a glimpse into the personalities of each.
I did enjoy the read but only because of the Rob Gronkowski angle. I otherwise would have found it a waste of time and not that interesting.
This book talks about how his sons achieved that success. Beyond being naturally gifted athletes Gordy appears to be a somewhat obsessed workout junkie and had his five sons competing with each other in the basement using a workout regime created by Gordy himself. He created five workout junkies in his own image who were motivated by their father but also by their competition with each other. This healthy competition resulted in a clan of professional athletes.
The book also provides some details on what their family life was like growing up and how their incredible mother managed to rein in five Gronks (six if you count the father) and cook and clean and drive them around to all their various sporting events. She is a bit in the background in the book, for the most part, but clearly a hero in her own right.
While the book is not just about Rob Gronkowski he does get more air time here, which is only fair as he is the most successful of the five Gronks. As a tight end for the New England Patriots he’s had a few monster seasons and could potentially be one of the greatest tight ends of all time. Unfortunately, his history of injuries, especially recently, will probably derail that dream. He is described as a bit of a fun loving goofball but a hard worker dedicated to being his best. But the rest of the brothers get their just due as well and we get a glimpse into the personalities of each.
I did enjoy the read but only because of the Rob Gronkowski angle. I otherwise would have found it a waste of time and not that interesting.
January 31, 2014
Growing Up Gronk by Gordon Gronkowski is a book about the life of the famous Gronkowski brothers. Gordie played in the MLB. Dan, Chris, and Rob all play in the NFL, and Goose is a division 1 college football player. This book is great and everyone who loves sports should definitely read it.
August 31, 2013
Sometimes I find myself reading the strangest things- brought this home for the hubs and find myself reading it instead.
January 16, 2024
Solid book - I wanted to know what made this sports dynasty so strong and the book answered it. Hard work, strong family bonds, competition, and some luck.
Very cool and great to see how these brothers went through life and I loved reading all the quotes from them, family friends, and others. It just felt like great and authentic sources to really understand their history.
Some notes
67 “More than anything, mentality and the approach to preparation are the keys to making it.” - Demeris Johnson.
The book mentions how Dan realizes that the higher up you get in skill level, the more work people are putting towards improving. It’s interesting because it makes me think of Mr Beast and how he had a group who quit after a million subs and how now he found people, at the top of the game, obsessed like him. Whatever we are willing to put extra work into when most people aren’t, we’ll probably find others like that too when we excel. 98
Very cool and great to see how these brothers went through life and I loved reading all the quotes from them, family friends, and others. It just felt like great and authentic sources to really understand their history.
Some notes
67 “More than anything, mentality and the approach to preparation are the keys to making it.” - Demeris Johnson.
The book mentions how Dan realizes that the higher up you get in skill level, the more work people are putting towards improving. It’s interesting because it makes me think of Mr Beast and how he had a group who quit after a million subs and how now he found people, at the top of the game, obsessed like him. Whatever we are willing to put extra work into when most people aren’t, we’ll probably find others like that too when we excel. 98
May 13, 2014
Ben Cavazzoni 74 5/12/14
Book Report
For my book report, I read the book Growing Up Gonk by the Gronkowski family and Jeff Schober. I would give this book a four out of five star rating and would definitely recommend this book to a friend.
One reason I would recommend this book is because the story is packed with humor. An example of this humor with the Gronkowski family is when all of the boys shouted while making a funny work-out film, using random household items like bread and chairs as props. They were all lined up with backwards hats, sunglasses and swimsuits, screaming pump-up phrases such as “let’s go” at the top of their lungs. Rob Gronkowski was definitely the funniest of the five brothers. He always found a way to tick people off, but made them laugh in the process. An example of this is when Rob was fourteen years old; his mom had instructed him to pull up his sweatpants because he looked sloppy. He simply wore them lower and she chased him around the house with his pants down until he fell flat on his face. Those are two examples of how humor was part of their everyday lives.
Although there were times to laugh, they also knew how to give 100% of their hardest work when it came time to be serious. Another reason why I loved this book and would recommend it to anyone is because this story shows what hard work does for you in your life. One example of this is that before Dan Gronkowski, at age fifteen, had started working out, he was big but not very strong and he wanted that to change. So he started lifting weights through an entire winter, with the assistance of his dad. He became one of the strongest kids in his grade. Another example of hard work paying off is when Gordie Gronkowski, Dan’s older brother who was seventeen at this point in the story, saw Dan’s improvement and was inspired to have the same success. Gordie started working out with his father’s help and saw the same, eye-opening results that he was searching for. Gordie became bigger, stronger and faster. Their hard work helped their body-building success, but their competitiveness was what really set this family apart.
My final reason I chose to recommend this book to all ages is because it shows how competitive the brothers all were and how that helped them to push themselves to get better and stronger. An example of this was when Chris Gronkowski (at fourteen years old) was having trouble becoming inspired to work-out. So his dad called his brother Dan to try to get Chris excited to work-out. Dan proposed a bet to Chris. The bet was who ever worked-out more hours in that month wins $100.00. This sparked the competitiveness inside Chris because he wanted to have that money. Chris won by thirteen hours and got the well-deserved cash prize. Another example of the boys’ competitiveness was when the four oldest brothers would play “two on two” basketball games, because the fifth and youngest brother (Goose) was simply too young to play. They would play these games for four hours a day and at least one of the hours would consist of violent fighting between the brothers. They would always fight fairly though and wouldn't finish the games until a fair winner was decided. Those are the two reasons that the competitiveness of the brothers drove them to try to become better than one another and to face their challenges.
Overall, this book made it clear to me that the Gronkowski brothers are unique and a very dedicated and loving family.
Book Report
For my book report, I read the book Growing Up Gonk by the Gronkowski family and Jeff Schober. I would give this book a four out of five star rating and would definitely recommend this book to a friend.
One reason I would recommend this book is because the story is packed with humor. An example of this humor with the Gronkowski family is when all of the boys shouted while making a funny work-out film, using random household items like bread and chairs as props. They were all lined up with backwards hats, sunglasses and swimsuits, screaming pump-up phrases such as “let’s go” at the top of their lungs. Rob Gronkowski was definitely the funniest of the five brothers. He always found a way to tick people off, but made them laugh in the process. An example of this is when Rob was fourteen years old; his mom had instructed him to pull up his sweatpants because he looked sloppy. He simply wore them lower and she chased him around the house with his pants down until he fell flat on his face. Those are two examples of how humor was part of their everyday lives.
Although there were times to laugh, they also knew how to give 100% of their hardest work when it came time to be serious. Another reason why I loved this book and would recommend it to anyone is because this story shows what hard work does for you in your life. One example of this is that before Dan Gronkowski, at age fifteen, had started working out, he was big but not very strong and he wanted that to change. So he started lifting weights through an entire winter, with the assistance of his dad. He became one of the strongest kids in his grade. Another example of hard work paying off is when Gordie Gronkowski, Dan’s older brother who was seventeen at this point in the story, saw Dan’s improvement and was inspired to have the same success. Gordie started working out with his father’s help and saw the same, eye-opening results that he was searching for. Gordie became bigger, stronger and faster. Their hard work helped their body-building success, but their competitiveness was what really set this family apart.
My final reason I chose to recommend this book to all ages is because it shows how competitive the brothers all were and how that helped them to push themselves to get better and stronger. An example of this was when Chris Gronkowski (at fourteen years old) was having trouble becoming inspired to work-out. So his dad called his brother Dan to try to get Chris excited to work-out. Dan proposed a bet to Chris. The bet was who ever worked-out more hours in that month wins $100.00. This sparked the competitiveness inside Chris because he wanted to have that money. Chris won by thirteen hours and got the well-deserved cash prize. Another example of the boys’ competitiveness was when the four oldest brothers would play “two on two” basketball games, because the fifth and youngest brother (Goose) was simply too young to play. They would play these games for four hours a day and at least one of the hours would consist of violent fighting between the brothers. They would always fight fairly though and wouldn't finish the games until a fair winner was decided. Those are the two reasons that the competitiveness of the brothers drove them to try to become better than one another and to face their challenges.
Overall, this book made it clear to me that the Gronkowski brothers are unique and a very dedicated and loving family.
June 5, 2013
It's Raining Gronks...
While Rob is the most famous of the Gronkowski's (and, is it weird that after only three years as a NE fan of Rob Gronkowski that I can spell his name without thinking, between him and being able to spell Gostkowski I think that the Patriots should draft some Smiths and Joneses...) most people will pick up the book because of Rob. That's why I wanted to read it. His section in the book is not really any bigger than any of his brothers' though, and actually, I thought that the oldest brother Gordie Jr. probably had the longest section. And, it was one of my favorite sections of the book.
Everyone knows Rob's basic story. Works hard while growing up in Western New York state, goes to University of Arizona for two years, has back surgery and misses his Junior year, and still gets drafted by the New England Patriots in the second round of the 2010 NFL draft. The bones of the stories of the other brothers, and even the Dad aren't all that different from Rob. Gordy Sr. seems to have put into all five of his sons an insanely intense work ethic and that gets repeated -a lot- during the book. That was one of the things that I didn't love about the book, it was a bit repetitive in places. In other places it seemed a bit choppy too. But, overall the flow was good and the stories in there (some of the them were hilarious, others inspiring) kept me engaged and reading.
I do wish that there had been more about Diane, the Gronkowski brothers mother, in the book (there was a little bit about her in the middle). Maybe it's the female in me, but it would have been cool to learn more about her.
Also, a bit of a nitpick, but Worcester's not really 'near' Foxborough. Maybe it is in a 'whole country' way (and it's not exactly wicked far away either), but, in a Massachusetts way it's not really 'near'.
I've read quite a few sports nonfiction books that have to do with New England sports players and New England sports teams and overall I really liked the book. The author who helped Gordy Gronkowski write it was pretty good. I'd rank this book just below a Michael Holley sports tome. It's a solid four star book.
I got this advanced galley through Netgalley on behalf of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt hoping that I would review it.
While Rob is the most famous of the Gronkowski's (and, is it weird that after only three years as a NE fan of Rob Gronkowski that I can spell his name without thinking, between him and being able to spell Gostkowski I think that the Patriots should draft some Smiths and Joneses...) most people will pick up the book because of Rob. That's why I wanted to read it. His section in the book is not really any bigger than any of his brothers' though, and actually, I thought that the oldest brother Gordie Jr. probably had the longest section. And, it was one of my favorite sections of the book.
Everyone knows Rob's basic story. Works hard while growing up in Western New York state, goes to University of Arizona for two years, has back surgery and misses his Junior year, and still gets drafted by the New England Patriots in the second round of the 2010 NFL draft. The bones of the stories of the other brothers, and even the Dad aren't all that different from Rob. Gordy Sr. seems to have put into all five of his sons an insanely intense work ethic and that gets repeated -a lot- during the book. That was one of the things that I didn't love about the book, it was a bit repetitive in places. In other places it seemed a bit choppy too. But, overall the flow was good and the stories in there (some of the them were hilarious, others inspiring) kept me engaged and reading.
I do wish that there had been more about Diane, the Gronkowski brothers mother, in the book (there was a little bit about her in the middle). Maybe it's the female in me, but it would have been cool to learn more about her.
Also, a bit of a nitpick, but Worcester's not really 'near' Foxborough. Maybe it is in a 'whole country' way (and it's not exactly wicked far away either), but, in a Massachusetts way it's not really 'near'.
I've read quite a few sports nonfiction books that have to do with New England sports players and New England sports teams and overall I really liked the book. The author who helped Gordy Gronkowski write it was pretty good. I'd rank this book just below a Michael Holley sports tome. It's a solid four star book.
I got this advanced galley through Netgalley on behalf of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt hoping that I would review it.
November 2, 2017
This book was really good. I was all about the gronk family. If you like football and gronk you would love this book.
November 3, 2014
Pre-reading this for my 8 year-old who wanted to do a book report on Rob Gronkowski. So far it is a very inspirational and motivating book for young, aspiring athletes. Have only encountered one bad word and and a few issues that may raise a question or two, but clean and appropriate for advanced young readers.
August 31, 2016
This book was entertaining, but I did feel like a lot of it was just a long infomercial for the Gronkowski families patriarch. While it is an entertaining read if you are a Patriots/Gronkowski family, I'm glad I only spent $1.99 on it.
July 19, 2013
Loved it! It gave a wonderful insight into the family structure, and into each member of the family!
March 27, 2017
Good background on the Gronkowski family. I like Gordy's mind set in raising the boys and glad he shared.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews