For 17 seasons, Tony Gonzalez redefined how the tight end position would be played and finished his career as arguably the greatest tight end ever.
From 1994-96, Tony attended the University of California and played football and basketball. He played tight end under future NFL Head Coach Steve Mariucci in football and was an All-Pac-10 and All-American selection. While on the court, Gonzalez played in all 28 games for the Golden Bears Basketball program during his Junior year, averaging 6.8 points and 5.4 rebounds per game, and helped lead the Bears to the Sweet Sixteen.
In 1997, Gonzalez opted to play pro football and became the 13th overall selection by the Kansas City Chiefs, where he made an immediate impact as a rookie, recording 33 catches for 368 yards and two scores. His rookie would be the last time he’d ever catch less than 59 passes in a single season.
His breakout campaign would happen during his third year in the league, where he’d finish the ’99 season with 76 receptions for 849 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns and make his first of fourteen Pro Bowls and his first All-Pro honors. The following season, Gonzalez eclipsed 1,000 yards receiving for the first time with 1,203.
In 2004, Gonzalez reached a career-high 102 receptions and passed the 1,000-yard mark for the second time in his career (1,258). During his 12 seasons with the Chiefs, Gonzalez was a core piece to the team’s offense, especially during the Dick Vermeil era, where he was the primary target quarterback Trent Green liked to throw to.
After two disappointing seasons in 2007 and 2008, when the Chiefs finished with a combined 6-26 record, Gonzalez demanded to be traded and was granted his request by new Chiefs GM Scott Pioli. On April 23, 2009, Gonzalez was traded to the Atlanta Falcons for a third-round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft.
As a Falcon, Gonzalez helped take Atlanta to the 2012 NFC Championship, the furthest he’s ever gone in the postseason. Unfortunately, his Falcons fell short of the San Francisco 49ers.
Gonzalez officially called it a career after the 2013 season, ending a legendary career of 17 seasons. After 270 games, Gonzalez collected 1,325 catches for 15,127 receiving yards and 111 touchdowns. He eclipsed the 900-yard mark nine times in his career and a 1,000 yards receiving four times.
In 2018, he was enshrined into the Chiefs’ Hall of Honor and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame a year later.
