Tony Gonzalez

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Gonzalez was born in Torrance, California. He was raised by his mother, who worked two jobs to support the family. His paternal grandfather, whose surname was 'Gonçalves,' had moved from Cape Verde to Argentina; he was of part Portuguese ancestry. His paternal grandmother was Jamaican, with part Scottish ancestry; and his mother's family is African-American, with mixed European roots. Gonzalez attended Huntington Beach High School in Huntington Beach, California, where he lettered in 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 was named the Orange County High School Athlete of the Year, beating out athletes such as golfer Tiger Woods. Gonzalez chose to attend the University of California, Berkeley, where he majored in communications and played both football and basketball. As a member of the California Golden Bears football team, he played tight end under future NFL coach Steve Mariucci. Gonzalez was also an All-Pac-10 and All-America selection. Gonzalez also continued his basketball career at Cal. In his junior year, he played in 28 games, averaging 6.8 points and 5.4 rebounds per game as California made it to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA basketball tournament. Eventually, Gonzalez had to choose a career between basketball or football. On the difficulty of the transition between the two, Tony said 'you get done playing football and then you transition to basketball[, which] had already been going for a month', but ultimately 'the decision was pretty much made for me...' Gonzalez decided to forgo his final year of eligibility to declare for the NFL draft. Gonzalez was ranked as one of the top tight ends in the 1997 NFL draft and was considered a top 15 selection. The Chiefs traded up from the 18th to the 13th selection with the Tennessee Oilers to draft Gonzalez. Gonzalez began his career in the 1997 season. He finished his rookie season with 33 receptions, two touchdowns, and a blocked punt on special teams, helping the Chiefs to finish with the best record in the American Football Conference (AFC). He was named to the NFL All-Rookie Team for the 1997 season. In the 1998 season, Gonzalez saw dramatic i

In Their Own Story

On November 4, during the 2001 season against the San Diego Chargers, Gonzalez threw his first professional pass for 40 yards. In week 4 of the 2002 season, he recorded seven receptions for 140 yards and three touchdowns in a win over the Miami Dolphins, setting a career high for touchdowns in a single game. That same year, he briefly resumed basketball with the Miami Heat in the NBA Summer League, posting an 11-rebound performance in a 72–71 victory against the Indiana Pacers. In week 14 of the 2000 season, he hauled in 11 receptions for 147 yards and a touchdown against the New England Patriots. His dominance continued into 2008 when he became the NFL all-time leader in receiving yards for a tight end with 10,064 yards on October 14, surpassing Shannon Sharpe again. He finished that year with 96 receptions for 1,058 yards, earning his tenth career Pro Bowl selection and fifth First-Team All-Pro honor.

Reader's Guide

Gonzalez is the NFL's all-time leader in receptions and receiving yards by a tight end, and ranks second in receiving touchdowns. He earned 14 Pro Bowl selections and six first-team All-Pro selections during his career. He was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2019.

Did You Know?

• Gonzalez played basketball for the Miami Heat in the 2002 NBA Summer League.
• He broke Shannon Sharpe's career touchdown reception record for tight ends on October 14, 2007.
• Gonzalez's single-season record of 102 receptions by a tight end stood for 8 years until broken by Jason Witten in 2012.
• He was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame All-Decade Team for the years 2000–2009.