SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) – Retired Marine Capt. Eddie Peña walked into what he thought would be a routine presentation at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ facility. Instead, he found NFL great Rob Gronkowski waiting with a surprise that would take him to the Super Bowl.
Peña, a 20-year Marine Corps veteran from Tampa, arrived believing he was there to give a presentation on behalf of the Marine Corps Association. He walked into an empty room and found Gronkowski, the Super Bowl champion tight end, ready with a “Gronk-style” reveal.
Gronkowski, USAA and the Marine Corps Association told Peña he was getting a trip to the Super Bowl, including two tickets, with plans to bring his son, Gian.
The visit turned personal as Gronkowski and Peña toured the Bucs’ facility together, swapped stories and shared laughs, along with protein shakes, according to organizers.
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Peña served in the Marine Corps from 1991 to 2011 and retired at the rank of captain. He began his career as an enlisted Marine out of Parris Island, South Carolina, serving as a Stinger missile gunner and later as a team and section leader.
The decorated veteran deployed to Iraq during the initial invasion as a platoon commander and returned during Operation Iraqi Freedom II as a company executive officer. His service also included deployments across the Mediterranean, Bosnia and Somalia. His final deployment was in Okinawa, Japan, where he later retired, organizers said.
During his service, Peña earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 2001. He later received a master’s degree from the Naval Postgraduate School and served at Marine Corps Systems Command as a project officer for satellite communications.
After leaving the Marines, Peña moved into the private sector. In 2014, he relocated to Tampa and started his own company, where he serves as CEO.
Today, Peña remains active with the Marine Corps Association, which nominated him for the surprise in partnership with USAA, the NFL’s official Salute to Service partner.
“Coming back to Tampa with USAA and the Marine Corps Association to surprise Marine Corps veteran Eddie Peña with a trip to the Super Bowl, Gronk style, was such a privilege and his reaction was priceless,” Gronkowski said in a statement. “I have so much respect for all of our veterans and having the chance to take him on a tour of the Bucs’ facility, relive some of my favorite memories, and create new ones for Eddie is what Salute to Service is all about.”
Peña said he has adopted the Buccaneers as his favorite team. Tom Brady has long been his favorite player, he said, but after meeting Gronkowski, “they might be tied.”
Gronkowski and Peña are scheduled to reunite in the Bay Area at the USAA Salute to Service Lounge on Super Bowl weekend, organizers said.
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