The “Gronk Era” has officially come and gone with the veteran pass catcher recently electing to hang up his cleats for good. With the now-former New England Patriots tight end retired, everyone has continued to sing the praises of Rob Gronkowski — including longtime Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin.

In fact, Tomlin recently told the story of his first ever encounter with Gronkowski.

“I had no reaction,” Tomlin said, via 247 Sports. “I really respect his body of work and the success he had over his career. The interesting thing is that I met that kid at a Dapper Dan dinner when he was at Woodland Hills. That is the guy I met at the Dapper Dan. That might have been my first season. When I think about Gronk and all that he was able to accomplish, I think about that. I met that kid when he was at Woody High in '07, I think the first Dapper Dan I went to. That is a cool thing.”

No doubt headed for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Gronkowski finishes his illustrious NFL playing career with three Super Bowl titles under his belt.

“He is Gronk,” Tomlin added. “He is going to catch your eye whether you intend to or not. He came up and we had a funny conversation. It's not really uniquely funny now that I know Gronk. At the time, I didn't know that 17-year-old was Gronk. Just a long kid from Woodland Hills.”

Of course, the seasoned tight end went out on top as well with New England winning its second title in the last three seasons in 2018.