Top 50 Cal Pros: No. 1 - Tony Gonzalez, Hall of Fame Tight End

We are counting down Cal’s top 50 athletes based on their careers as post-collegiate professionals. Their performance as Golden Bears is not factored into the rankings.

1. TONY GONZALEZ

Years at Cal: 1994 to 1997

Sport: Football

Pro teams: Kansas City Chiefs, Atlanta Falcons

Age: 49

Hometown: Torrance, Calif.

Tony Gonzalez during his Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement in 2019 | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Why we ranked him here: As we debated who belongs atop our list, Gonzalez emerged as perhaps the one athlete for whom the argument can be made that he is the best — ever — at what he does. As good as Aaron Rodgers or Jason Kidd or Helen Wills Moody were, it’s hard to make a convincing argument they were history’s very best quarterback, point guard or women’s tennis player. But there is ample evidence Gonzalez stands atop the heap of elite tight ends, ranging from John Mackey to Dave Casper to Rob Gronkowski to Travis Kelce. His 1,325 career pass receptions over 17 seasons are the third-most ever — at any position — and tops among tight ends. His 15,127 receiving yards rank sixth all-time and, once more, No. 1 at his position. His 111 TD catches put him eighth all-time and No. 2 among tight ends, trailing only Antonio Gates with 116. Gonzalez’s body of work includes 14 Pro Bowl selections (tied for 2nd all-time with Peyton Manning, trailing only Tom Brady with 15). He was a six-time All-Pro first-team choice, a four-time second-team honoree. Drafted No. 13 in the first round by Kansas City in 1997, Gonzalez played 12 seasons with the Chiefs then five with the Falcons. He had eight seasons of at least 80 catches, including high of 102 in 2004. Gonzalez was chosen the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s first team All-2000 squad and the NFL 100 All-Time Team. Gonzalez was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2019, in his first year of eligibility.

Tony Gonzalez at Cal | Photos courtesy of Cal Athletics

At Cal: Coming to Berkeley from Huntington Beach High School in Orange County, Gonzalez was one of Cal’s greatest two-sport athletes in the modern era. In three football seasons as a 6-foot-5 tight end, he caught 89 passes for 1,302 yards and eight touchdowns. He blossomed as a junior in 1996, earning first-team All-Pac-10 selection after making 44 receptions for 699 yards and five TDs. Football News and Sporting News both named him to their All-America teams. As a power forward on the basketball team, he averaged 6.4 points and 4.3 rebounds over three seasons, but was at his best in the 1997 NCAA Tournament when he scored 23 points in a second-round victory over Villanova and dominated Tim Thomas, who became the No. 7 pick in the NBA Draft three months later. Gonzalez was voted into the Cal Athletic Hall of Fame in 2015.

Other: Since retiring after the 2013 season, Gonzalez has served as a TV football analyst for CBS Sports, Fox Sports and NFL on Prime Video. . . . Gonzalez has had endorsement deals with Nike, Carnival Cruise Line, Modelo and AirTran and promoted skincare and wellness products from Caldera + Lab. . . . In 2009, he published a cookbook, The All-Pro Diet, stressing whole organic plant-based and unprocessed foods but also providing a fitness program.

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