New England Patriots

Rob Gronkowski’s dad said he chose Arizona for pool parties

NFL player Rob Gronkowski, of the New England Patriots with former NFL player and brother Dan Gronkowski at the 2015 ESPY Awards.

Rob Gronkowski’s father wanted all his sons to go to college with an athletic scholarship.

“School’s first no matter what,’’ Gordy Gronkowski told Vanity Fair in an article published Wednesday. “Get educated, and then the sports.’’

What he didn’t realize is that the Patriots tight end also had another main criteria when choosing a college: pool parties.

Gronkowski was offered 65 athletic scholarships during his college decision process, according to the family’s patriarch.

“I asked, ‘Where are you going? Syracuse? Ohio State?’’’ Gordy recalled for Vanity Fair. “He goes, ‘University of Arizona.’ I asked, ‘Why there?’ ‘Dad, if you ever went to a pool party at Arizona, you’d understand.’’’

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File this one under Gronk being Gronk.

Read the complete excerpt from photographer Bruce Weber’s annual cultural survey, All-American, on Vanity Fair.

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