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Photo by Travis Pratt
Dan Gronkowski, a blocking tight end at Maryland, used yoga in the offseason ot help his athleticism. |
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COLLEGE PARK -- As a college football player, Maryland tight end Dan Gronkowski is used to tough workouts.That's why the football gods invented burly strength and conditioning coaches. But the person pushing Gronkowski during this workout didn't fit the stereotype -- that person was a female yoga instructor. "The lady didn't take it easy on us," Gronkowski said. Gronkowski was just one of the Terps who took yoga, which uses ancient exercises to improve a person mentally, emotionally and physically. While the very name "yoga" conjures up images of Zen masters and eccentrics, it also appeals to more mainstream guys like college football players. "A bunch of us did it. It was more for the bigger guys with tight muscles," Gronkowski said. "It definitely worked out. I always wanted to (do yoga)." Gronkowski figured yoga could improve his athleticism, and it wasn't the first time he tried new things to contribute at Maryland. He came to the Terps as a quarterback, only to be transformed into a tight end. "I put on 30 pounds since then," he said. A 6-foot-6, 263-pound junior, Gronkowski hasn't outgrown his address in the locker room -- his locker is still in the quarterback section. But these days, he takes on the very defenders he used to dodge as a quarterback. Blessed with sure hands, he's a blocking tight end for the Terps, who already have an ace receiving tight end in Joey Haynos. The funny thing is, Gronkowski was a star wide receiver at Williamsville North High School (New York) before switching to quarterback. "Being down in the battle was a transition," Gronkowski said. "But I've got the personality for it." He has the strength for it, too. Gronkowski can squat 635 pounds. Only one Terp tight end has ever squatted more -- physical specimen Vernon Davis, who now plays for the San Francisco 49ers. And Gronkowski has brains to go with his muscle. He won the George Boutselis Memorial Award for the letterman with the highest GPA on the team and he graduated with a marketing degree in May. He intends to pursue an MBA this fall, while sharing tight end duties with Haynos. "I think we've got two good tight ends," Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen said.
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