Jedd Fisch became fast friends with Tedy Bruschi after securing the Arizona job. Suddenly, they had much in common.
Bruschi starred for the Wildcats in the 1990s. He went on to play his entire NFL career for the New England Patriots, for whom Fisch worked last year.
Fisch hired Bruschi as a senior advisor on Feb. 1. Bruschi would continue to live in the Northeast and work for ESPN, but he’d communicate with Fisch and the team remotely. His first visit would be the April 24 spring game.
Fisch wasn’t satisfied, though. He envisioned a “coaching” matchup between UA greats. So Fisch persuaded Rob Gronkowski to participate in the spring game as well.
Gronkowski, who authored a first-ball Hall of Fame career with the Patriots and is still playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, hasn’t set foot on the UA campus in about a decade. That’s about to change.
Here’s a quick look at the vitals for the two honorary captains in the spring game, which is slated for noon Saturday at Arizona Stadium:
Tedy Bruschi
Age: 47
Hometown: Roseville, California
Height/weight: 6-1, 247
Position: Defensive end/linebacker
Arizona defensive end Tedy Bruschi downs USC quarterback Rob Johnson during Arizona Wildcats vs. USC in Tucson on Oct. 22, 1993. Arizona won, 38-7.
At Arizona: Bruschi recorded 52 sacks — at the time tied for the most in NCAA history — and was a key member of the dominant ‘Desert Swarm’ defenses of the early 1990s.
NFL draft: 1996, third round, 86th pick, New England Patriots
NFL by the numbers: 13 seasons, 189 games, 680 tackles, 30.5 sacks, 12 interceptions, 17 forced fumbles, 7 fumble recoveries,
** ADVANCE FOR WEEKEND EDITIONS, AUG. 27-28 * FILE ** New England Patriots’ Tedy Bruschi celebrates after intercepting a fourth-quarter pass intended for Philadelphia Eagles’ L.J. Smith during Super Bowl XXXIX in Jacksonville, Fla., int this Feb. 6, 2005 photo. Bruschi’s locker remains intact and he still comes by to attend meetings or work out. He won’t be on the field for the New England Patriots this season, though, because of a small stroke he sustained just three days after he played in the Pro Bowl. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson) AUGUST 29, 2005 C1 The Associated Press 2005 — Tedy Bruschi celebrates an interception in the Patriots’ Super Bowl victory. Ten days later, the ex-Wildcat suffered a stroke that has sidelined him for this season. SEPTEMBER 3, 2005 C3 Photo by The Associated Press 2005 — Former UA star Tedy Bruschi says a return to the Patriots this season is “not going to happen.”
Super Bowl rings: 3 (2001, ’03, ’04 seasons)
Notable honors:
Two-time consensus All-American (1994, ’95)
Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year (1995)
Morris Trophy (1995)
Two-time second-team All-Pro (2003, ’04)
NFL Comeback Player of the Year (2005)
College Football Hall of Fame (2013)
Tedy Bruschi, with former UA coach Dick Tomey, sacked the quarterback 52 times with the Wildcats, which was then tied for the NCAA record. He had 30.5 sacks over 189 games in the NFL.
Off the field: A survivor of two strokes — including one during his playing career — Bruschi and his wife, former UA volleyball player Heidi Bomberger Bruschi, raise awareness and support other stroke survivors through “Tedy’s Team.” Bruschi has worked as an NFL analyst for over a decade and this year became a senior advisor to first-year UA coach Jedd Fisch.
Arizona DE Tedy Bruschi makes a beeline for ASU quarterback Jake Plummer during the Arizona vs. Arizona State in Tempe on Nov. 24, 1995.
Jedd Fisch says: “Tedy Bruschi represents everything we want from our student-athletes. He knows what it takes to do things right on and off the field and has demonstrated success in all facets of life throughout the years. Tedy is a true friend and ally who understands what it takes to win: respect, accountability, selflessness and enthusiasm.”
Rob Gronkowski
Age: 31
Hometown: Williamsville, New York
Height/weight: 6-6, 268
Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski celebrates as he scores a touchdown during Super Bowl LV against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, February 7, 2021 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel/TNS)
Position: Tight end
At Arizona: Gronkowski caught 75 passes for 1,197 yards and 16 touchdowns in 22 games — earning multiple league and national accolades — before missing 2009, his junior season, because of a back injury.
NFL draft: 2010, second round, 42nd pick, New England Patriots
NFL by the numbers: 10 seasons, 131 games, 566 receptions, 8,464 yards, 15.0 yards-per-catch average, 86 touchdowns,
Ex-Wildcat Rob Gronkowski, seen here after the 2015 Super Bowl, also won three titles with the Patriots, and then added a fourth career crown with the Buccaneers earlier this year.
Super Bowl rings: 4 (2014, ’16, ’18, ’20 seasons)
Notable honors:
First-team All-Pac-10 (2008)
Third-team All-American (2008)
Four-time first-team All-Pro (2011, ’14, ’15, ’17)
NFL Comeback Player of the Year (2014)
NFL 2010s All-Decade Team
NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team
21 UA FOOTBALL gb-p2 — Arizona tight end Rob Gronkowski (cq ROB GRONKOWSKI) high fives fans after a 31-10 win over UCLA at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., Saturday Sept. 20, 2008 (cq SATURDAY SEPT. 20, 2008). Photo by Greg Bryan/Arizona Daily Star Transmission #141744 MANDATORY CREDIT, NO MAGS, NO SALES
Off the field: One of football’s biggest personalities, Gronkowski has appeared in multiple commercials, television shows and films. He and his brothers also founded the Gronk Nation Youth Foundation, which is “dedicated to inspiring youth to reach their maximum potential through sports, education, community and fitness.”
Rob Gronkowski, center, caught 75 passes at UA, for 1,197 yards and 16 touchdowns in college. He missed his junior year with an injury and then headed to the NFL, where he quickly became a superstar.
Jedd Fisch says: “I got a chance to be around him a few years ago when I was visiting New England. Coaching in New England, even though he wasn’t there, you still kind of have that brothers-in-bond. A lot of the coaches on that staff in Tampa are very close friends of mine, so I know that were on him pretty quick (after Fisch got the UA job). I talked to him (recently), and he was fired up about coming in next weekend.”
