In 2006, high school recruit Rob Gronkowski visited Ohio State. While there, he was photographed on the sidelines of a game looking rather Gronk-like. He wasn’t alone in the photo either.
The image, which appeared to show a very dazed Gronkowski, standing next to a bespectacled Ohio State employee or staffer, became a viral meme that only became more prescient as the tight end’s personality and goofiness became his trademarks.
They really recreated @RobGronkowski‘s legendary 2006 Ohio State recruiting trip photo š¤£š pic.twitter.com/4BYKfZ1RKN
ā Big Noon Kickoff (@BNKonFOX) November 1, 2025
Gronk, who played college football at Arizona, was in Columbus on Saturday for Ohio State’s Big Ten showdown with Penn State. Before the game, he talked about the photo, confirming he was indeed as hungover as he appeared and also introducing a special guest.
Gronk x @JacketsInsider meet over a meme
Gronk āMe and my friend were overserved the night beforeā no way š pic.twitter.com/p0RwGQ7BJg
ā McNeil (@REFLOG18) November 1, 2025
“I remember a lot about that day,” Gronk told Fox Sports. “It was 19 years ago when I took a visit here to the Ohio State University. I went out with a couple of my friends. We got over-served too many juices. We got no sleep, and then I came to the game the next morning, and you could tell I was hurting just a little bit,” Gronkowski said about the recruiting photo. “But I still watched the game, and I still enjoyed it. I actually went toĀ Arizona. I loved the school. I loved the people here at Ohio State, but I just felt like Arizona was a better fit for me.
“And, on top of that photo, someone was crashing it in the back, and I got my man [Jeff] here once again. We finally get to meet because this photo’s been going viral for years now.”
Gronkowski then introduced Jeff, the man on his right side in the recruiting photo, who helped turn it into a meme.
“I was at Ohio State and Michigan, No. 1 vs. No. 2,” explained Jeff about that day. “Seeing what recruits are on the sideline. And there’s Rob Gronkowski. Woodland Hills High School, I still remember that. You went on for greatness, and I became an internet meme.”
Great line, Jeff.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.