Landing Gronkowski was recruiting coup

Tim Kish had ventured into the White Mountains of Northern Arizona to get away.

The snow-covered hills had provided him and his family a quiet backdrop for a much-needed respite from the rigors of the recruiting trail.

Then the phone rang.

The scream came next.

It was a mixture of exhilaration and relief, a sound the family of the Arizona football recruiter likely will never forget.

After years of scouting the second-youngest of the Gronkowski boys, Kish finally had gotten the news he had been waiting for: Rob was going to be a Wildcat.

"My kids to this day laugh because I belted out a pretty loud scream at that point when they told us they were coming," recalled Kish, who at the time was the team's assistant coach.

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A little more than five years have passed since Gronkowski's father, Gordy, delivered the news shortly after Christmas in 2006. But Kish, now the linebackers coach at Oklahoma, still beams when discussing that moment in the mountains.

Arizona had pulled off a major recruiting coup, beating out -- according to Kish -- "30-something, 40-something" college programs for Gronkowski, a rangy but physical kid who "never dropped a ball that came close to him."

Long before Gronkowski, 22, became a fan favorite in New England, Kish and members of the old Arizona staff knew greatness was on the horizon.

Though a high ankle sprain has put Gronkowski's Super Bowl appearance against the Giants in jeopardy, those who know him well are quick to point out his resolve and competitive spirit.

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Despite missing his entire junior year at Arizona after back surgery, he declared for the 2010 draft and was selected 42nd overall after the Patriots traded up to get him.

"He can do it all," said fellow second-year tight end Aaron Hernandez, who combined with Gronkowski for 169 receptions in the regular season, the most by a pair of tight ends on one team. "He draws so much attention because of how big he is, how physical, his speed. So it makes it a lot easier on me and it makes me a better player."

Gronkowski, a Buffalo native, established himself as one of Tom Brady's main go-to guys this year, setting NFL single-season records for touchdowns (17) and receiving yards (1,327) by a tight end. His breakout season also earned him his first All-Pro selection and a Pro Bowl nod (which he declined because of the Super Bowl).

But his desire to be the best should come as no surprise.

Years ago, he was determined to leave his mark in Tucson.

Gronkowski caught 75 passes for 1,197 yards and 16 touchdowns in 23 games for the Wildcats. He holds a dozen school single-season and career records for tight ends.

"His talent was a head above everyone I've seen. It was incredible," said Kris Heavner, a former Arizona quarterback who played one season with Gronkowski before becoming a graduate assistant under former head coach Mike Stoops.

"I remember Rob would always say he wanted to leave the school with all the records. And he's doing the same thing in the league right now; he's setting all these records. That's just his mentality. He always strived for perfection and to be the best."

The coaching staff at Arizona always marveled at his hands, his quick reflexes and his timing. But they also took note of his work ethic. Gronkowski was a "big goofy kid" at heart -- "the clown in the locker room" who loved to pull pranks, according to Heavner -- but he also was focused. He was a true student of the game, Kish said.

And no matter the coverage, Gronkowski always was the quarterback's first read.

"If he's got three guys on him, then he's covered," Heavner, now the head coach at Santa Rita High School in Tucson, said of his conversations with the Arizona quarterbacks. "If he's got two guys on him, he's still open, so give him the ball. That's how it was."

And in just two seasons with the Patriots, Gronkowski's become just as valuable to Brady.

"It doesn't even feel right, especially playing with the veterans here," the tight end said of his first Super Bowl. "I watched them go to the Super Bowl as I was growing up, and now I'm a part of it? It is an unreal moment and you can't take it for granted."

Kish used to fly to Buffalo to see the Gronkowski family every weekend he was allowed to during recruiting season. But even after Rob committed to Arizona, he still found himself boarding a plane to Western New York.

"I said to Mike Stoops, 'This kid's special,' '' Kish said. "He just thrived playing against bigger, faster, stronger competition. And so that, in a nutshell, told us the sky was the limit for him."