Tony Gonzalez
Tony Gonzalez poses with two U.S. Naval commanders prior to the kickoff of the 2005 NFL Pro Bowl. | |||||||||
| Kansas City Chiefs | |||||||||
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| Career information | |||||||||
| College: | California | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1997 / round: 1 / pick: 13 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2007 | |||||||||
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Anthony "Tony" David Gonzalez[1] (born February 27, 1976 in Torrance, California) is an American football tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League. He was drafted in the first round (13th overall pick) of the 1997 NFL Draft out of the University of California.
Gonzalez, a nine-time Pro Bowl selection, currently holds the NFL records for most single season receptions (102), most career touchdowns by a tight end (66), and most career receptions by a tight end (816).
High school career
Gonzalez attended Huntington Beach High School in Huntington Beach, California, where he lettered in football, baseball, and basketball.
Gonzalez excelled at both football and basketball. As a senior, he caught 62 passes for 945 yards and 13 touchdowns and was a first-team All America selection at both tight end and linebacker. Playing basketball, he was named Orange County and Sunset League MVP as he averaged 26 points per game.
After his senior year, Gonzalez shared the Orange County High School Athlete of the Year along with golfer Tiger Woods. [2]
College career
Gonzalez chose to attend the University of California, where he majored in communications and played both football and basketball.[3]
As a member of the California Golden Bears football team, he played tight end under future NFL coach Steve Mariucci.[3] His junior year was one of the best seasons of all time for a Division I tight end, as he caught 46 passes for 699 yards and 5 touchdowns. Gonzalez was also an All-Pac-10 and All-American selection.
Gonzalez also continued his basketball career at Cal. His junior year he played in 28 games, averaging 6.8 points and 4.5 rebounds per game as California made it to the Sweet sixteen of the NCAA Basketball Tournament.
Gonzalez elected to forfeit his final year of eligibility at University of California to declare for the NFL Draft.
NFL career
NFL draft
In 1996, the Kansas City Chiefs' offense was one of the worst in the NFL. Chiefs coach Marty Schottenheimer looked to use his first round pick to improve this area, and admired Gonzalez's combination of size, athleticism, and receiving ability. Gonzalez was rated as the number one tight end in the 1997 NFL Draft, and was considered a top 15 selection. The Chiefs decided to draft Gonzalez, but were unlikely to be able to draft him with their 18th overall pick. The Chiefs thus traded up with the Houston Oilers to get the number 13 selection and draft Gonzalez.[4]
Kansas City Chiefs
Gonzalez began his career in 1997. He finished his rookie season with 33 receptions and two touchdowns, helping the Chiefs to finish with the best record in the American Football Conference (AFC). In the 1998 season, Gonzalez saw dramatic improvements with 59 receptions for 621 yards, but he only caught two touchdown passes for the second consecutive year.
The 1999 season saw Gonzalez become one of the best receiving tight ends in the NFL. He caught 76 passes for 849 yards and a career high 11 touchdown receptions and was selected to his first Pro Bowl. From 2000 to 2006, Gonzalez was the most productive tight end in the NFL. During this time frame he averaged 79 receptions, 968 yards, and 6.5 touchdowns per season and was selected to the Pro Bowl every year. His best season statistically was 2004, when he caught an NFL record (for a tight end) 102 passes for 1258 yards and 7 touchdowns.
In 2007, Gonzalez continued his productivity in spite of the generally poor play of the Chiefs' offense. Though the Chiefs finished at or near the bottom in most major offensive categories, Gonzalez led all NFL tight ends in receptions (99) and receiving yards (1172) while being named to his ninth straight Pro Bowl.
Starting late in the 2006, Gonzalez began to close in on numerous team and league records for receiving. Late in 2006 Gonzalez broke Otis Taylor's Chiefs team receiving yards and touchdowns mark, and also passed Priest Holmes for the team yards from scrimmage record. On October 14, 2007, Gonzalez broke the career touchdown reception record for tight ends previously held by Shannon Sharpe, as well as passing Hall of Famer Ozzie Newsome for second in career receiving yards for a tight end. On December 23, 2007, Gonzalez recorded his third season with 1,000 receiving yards, tying him with Kellen Winslow, Todd Christensen and Shannon Sharpe for most ever by a tight end, and on December 30, 2007, Gonzalez passed Shannon Sharpe for most receptions all time by a tight end.
Personal life
Early in 2007, Gonzalez suffered a bout of facial paralysis known as Bell's palsy which focused his attention on health and nutrition. Gonzalez subsequently experimented with veganism after reading The China Study, by Cornell professor and nutrition researcher T. Colin Campbell.[5], but he and his nutritionist ultimately decided that eating some meat would be best for his performance.[6] Though initially concerned about how his largely vegetarian diet might affect his playing, Gonzalez was reassured when he broke the NFL record for career receptions by a tight end.
On July 3, 2008, while dining with his family at Capone's Restaurant in Huntington Beach, California, Gonzalez noticed fellow diner Ken Hunter choking on a piece of meat at a nearby table, unable to breathe. Gonzalez successfully administered the Heimlich Maneuver to Hunter, saving his life. After he saved his life, it was said that Ken Hunter was a San Diego Chargers fan, which is a rivalry team of the Chiefs in the AFC West.[7]
Acting credits
- Oprah Winfrey's The Big Give (TV series)-Judge
- Hard Knocks: Training Camp With The Kansas City Chiefs (2007)
- Married to the Kellys (2004)
- The Jersey (2000)
- Arliss (2000)
Records
League records
- Receptions in a single season for a tight end (102, 2004 season)
- Career receptions for a tight end (816 as of December 30, 2007)
- Career receiving touchdowns for a tight end (66 as of December 30, 2007)
- Most seasons with 1,000+ receiving yards by a tight end (3)
Team records
- Career receptions (820 as of December 30, 2007)
- Career receiving yards (9681 as of December 23, 2007)
- Career receiving touchdowns (66 as of December 23, 2007)
- Career yards from scrimmage (9695 as of December 23, 2007)
- Consecutive games with a reception (114 as of December 23, 2007)
Career statistics
NFL
| Year | Team | G | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | FD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Kansas City Chiefs | 16 | 33 | 368 | 11.2 | 30 | 2 | 21 |
| 1998 | Kansas City Chiefs | 16 | 59 | 621 | 10.5 | 32 | 2 | 33 |
| 1999 | Kansas City Chiefs | 15 | 76 | 849 | 11.2 | 73 | 11 | 47 |
| 2000 | Kansas City Chiefs | 16 | 93 | 1203 | 12.9 | 39 | 9 | 66 |
| 2001 | Kansas City Chiefs | 16 | 73 | 917 | 12.6 | 36 | 6 | 49 |
| 2002 | Kansas City Chiefs | 16 | 63 | 773 | 12.3 | 42 | 7 | 39 |
| 2003 | Kansas City Chiefs | 16 | 71 | 916 | 12.9 | 67 | 10 | 48 |
| 2004 | Kansas City Chiefs | 16 | 102 | 1258 | 12.3 | 32 | 7 | 69 |
| 2005 | Kansas City Chiefs | 16 | 78 | 905 | 11.6 | 39 | 2 | 45 |
| 2006 | Kansas City Chiefs | 15 | 73 | 900 | 12.3 | 57 | 5 | 54 |
| 2007 | Kansas City Chiefs | 16 | 99 | 1172 | 11.8 | 31 | 5 | 59 |
| Total | 174 | 820 | 9,882 | 12.1 | 73 | 66 | 530 |
References
- ^ "Gonzalez on Pro-Football-Reference". rbref.com. Retrieved 2007-12-21.
- ^ "Tony Gonzalez". NFL.com. Retrieved 2007-10-22.
- ^ a b "Tony Gonzalez, #88, Tight End, Kansas City Chiefs". Retrieved 2008-08-20.
- ^ Tucker, Doug (1997-04-19). "Chiefs grab Gonzalez with first pick". Retrieved 2008-08-20.
- ^ The 247 lb. Vegan
- ^ New Information about NFL’s Tony Gonzalez
- ^ "Chiefs' Gonzalez saves man from choking to death". Associated Press. 2008-07-08. Retrieved 2008-08-20.