Rob Gronkowski is about to take part in Super Bowl LV, which will be free to watch online this year. He is one of the biggest names in the sport, but Gronkowski would not have made it to the NFL without the support of his parents. Here is everything to know about Gordon Gronkowski and Diane Walters.
Gordon Sr. and Walters married and had five children together — Chris, Gordie Jr., Dan, Glenn, and Rob. The couple ultimately divorced, but they each made an impact on their children. They placed an emphasis on GPA and performance at school while also fostering a love of athletics. “School always came first in the household, and my philosophy with sports was to get them through college on an athletic scholarship,” said Gordon Sr., per Live Fit.
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A former offensive lineman at Syracuse University in the 1980s, Gordon Sr. co-founded G&G Fitness Equipment with his brother after college. Though he ultimately purchased all of the shares. The company started with one location on Transit Road in Amherst and expanded to 14 retail locations throughout the Northeast while selling Gronk Fitness Products.
Walters kept her five children busy with sports, shuttling them to practices in a conversion van. She also cooked, mowed the lawn, paid the bills, and helped with homework. During her time raising the children, Walters accumulated jaw-dropping stats.
According to the Naples Daily News, Walters estimates that she spent about $312,000 in food for her sons and their friends during their years at home. She kept this food in two freezers and two refrigerators, which she used to feed her “bear cubs.” The children explained to the outlet that they ate like ravenous animals but also fought like them.
“When you see someone raising one kid, you wonder, how could you possibly raise five animals?” Chris Gronkowski said about his mother in 2016. “She had no help. No one wanted to watch us. We had one babysitter, a couple times. Then she was out. Then another. It was like a revolving door until we ran out of them. It took a lot of patience and love.”
Despite having reputations as “dumb jocks,” the Gronkowski brothers have degrees and have used their skills to find success in a variety of ways, including working with G&G Fitness Equipment. They also avoid getting in trouble with the law or creating headlines for off-the-field issues. The standout tight end attributed these traits, and his organizational skills, to his mother.
“Everyone thinks I have a busy schedule but I’m not that busy if I’m organized,” Gronkowski told the Naples Daily News in 2016. “My mom always had that calendar in the kitchen that listed where everyone had to go. She’s so well-organized. She was always on top of it. And I have a calendar. It’s definitely a trait I learned. If you’re organized and on time, you always know what’s going on.”
