A Woodland Hills alumni who parlayed the strength fostered in the high school’s weight room into an NFL career has partnered with U.S. Steel to create an upgraded fitness center at the high school.
“We started working on this eight or nine months ago,” Ty Brown, the district’s athletic director, said.
The district set up a video call with Rob Gronkowski, a 2007 graduate with four Super Bowl rings. He is considered by some football analysts to be the best tight end to play on the gridiron.
Gronkowski played eight seasons with the New England Patriots and two with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was a thorn in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ side, with 41 catches for 685 yards and eight touchdowns in seven games against the Steelers.
Once Gronkowski saw that the conditioning equipment Woodland Hills High School was using predated his time at the school, he was on board to help pay for the upgrades through his foundation, Brown said.
“ ‘It’s time for a makeover,’ ” Brown said that Gronkowski told him.
Once Gronkowski was on board, the district turned to U.S. Steel, which also looms large in the district with its Edgar Thomson Works in Braddock.
“It was a no-brainer to get them on board,” Brown said.
It’s among $6 million in similar projects that U.S. Steel supports in Western Pennsylvania, company spokeswoman Amanda Malkowski said.
Together, Gronkowski and U.S. Steel donated $400,000 for the upgrade.
The fitness center is used by all students, not only the athletes, and there are plans for limited community use, Brown said.
#USSteel recently donated $200,000 to renovate the Woodland Hills Fitness Center in Pittsburgh’s eastern suburbs. The center serves more than 1,000 people in the area, including many of our Mon Valley Works employees and their families. Learn more. https://t.co/O36oeE0QlL
— U. S. Steel (@U_S_Steel) September 13, 2024