Tony Gonzalez
Anthony David Gonzalez (born February 27, 1976) is an American former football tight end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons. Regarded as one of the greatest tight ends of all time, he is the NFL's all-time leader in receiving yards and receptions by a tight end, along with ranking third in overall receptions. Gonzalez spent his first 12 seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, who selected him in the first round of the 1997 NFL draft. During his last five seasons, he was a member of the Atlanta Falcons. Since retiring in 2013, Gonzalez has served as a football analyst for NFL on Prime Video and was previously at CBS Sports and Fox Sports.
This article is about the former tight end. For the former wide receiver and U.S. Representative, see Anthony Gonzalez (politician).No. 88
February 27, 1976
Torrance, California, U.S.
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
247 lb (112 kg)
California (1994–1996)
1997 / Round: 1 / Pick: 13
1,325
1,325
15,127
111
Gonzalez finished his career with 14 Pro Bowl selections, the most for a tight end and second-most in league history, in addition to receiving six first-team All-Pros. Known for his durability and rarely fumbling, Gonzalez appeared in 270 of 272 regular season games and lost only two fumbles on 1,327 touches. He was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2019.
Early years[edit]
Gonzalez was born in Torrance, California.[3] 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.[4][5] His paternal grandmother was Jamaican, with part Scottish ancestry; and his mother's family is African-American, with mixed European roots.[6][7][8] Gonzalez attended Huntington Beach High School[9] 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.[10]
After his senior year, Gonzalez was named the Orange County High School Athlete of the Year, beating out athletes such as golfer Tiger Woods.[11]
Post-NFL career[edit]
Following his retirement, Gonzalez became an analyst on CBS's NFL pregame show NFL Today.[99] He worked for CBS until the end of the 2016 season.
On May 10, 2017, Gonzalez was added to Fox’s pregame show.[100] Gonzalez left Fox on July 16, 2021, to focus on more TV and film projects.[101]
On April 28, 2022, it was announced during the 2022 NFL draft that Gonzalez will return to broadcasting after a one-year hiatus, and join Amazon as a studio analyst for Thursday Night Football for the 2022 season.[102]