In August, Tony Gonzalez was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Four months later, the tight end is being memorialized yet again, in an even more exclusive club.
Gonzalez became the first tight end named to the NFL 100 All-Time Team on Thursday night.
Four more tight ends, 18 offensive linemen (seven tackles, seven guards and four centers) and four coaches will join Gonzalez on the All-Time Team during a one-hour special on Friday at 8 p.m. ET on NFL Network, hosted by Rich Eisen and featuring Bill Belichick and Cris Collinsworth.
A two-sport athlete at Cal, Gonzalez was selected 13th overall by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 1997 draft. Over his 17-year career, the tight end was named to an NFL-record 14 Pro Bowls and made first-team All-Pro six times, the most for any tight end.
Gonzalez, a paragon of dependability, missed just two of a potential 272 games in 17 years. He only led the league in receptions once (102, 2004), but finished his career as the most prolific tight end in the game's history. Gonzalez is first among all tight ends in receptions (1,325) and receiving yards (15,127) and second in touchdowns (111).
After 12 seasons in Kansas City, Gonzalez was traded to the Atlanta Falcons, where he spent the final five seasons of his career.
He never made the Super Bowl and made the postseason six times, but Gonzalez will always be remembered as one of the 100 greatest players and one of the top five tight ends of all-time.
