Rob Gronkowski caps Brady-attended Patriots Hall of Fame ceremony with spike -

Welcome to India Edition FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- With his trademark humor and flair, Rob Gronkowski was officially inducted into the New England Patriots Hall of Fame on Saturday in a ceremony attended by quarterback Tom Brady and capped off with his trademark spike of the football. "I'm a Patriot for Life. Now let's fiesta!" Gronkowski said as his light-hearted but passionate remarks concluded and he danced before drilling a football into the stage. That sparked a rousing cheer from the thousands in attendance in the plaza outside Gillette Stadium, as well as Patriots Hall of Famers in attendance, which included Brady, who was the first to share an embrace with Gronkowski on stage after the spike. Inductees into the Patriots Hall of Fame, who are ultimately selected by a fan vote, are presented red jackets -- similar to the honor of Pro Football Hall of Famers with gold jackets. The sight of Gronkowski and Brady, both donning their red jackets and seated side by side on the stage, was among the highlights of a nostalgic day for New England fans -- made possible by Brady being in town to serve as a Fox analyst for Sunday's game between the visiting Green Bay Packers and Patriots (4:25 p.m. ET). "Nothing and no one is ever matching what we did over the run we had," said Gronkowski, who donned bright red pants and a white dress shirt with red buttons -- true to his boisterous personality. Gronkowski played nine seasons in New England, was part of Patriots teams that won nine AFC East championships, appeared in the AFC Championship Game eight times, and made it to the Super Bowl four times. With New England, he totaled 521 receptions for 7,861 yards and 79 touchdown receptions in the regular season and posted 81 receptions for 1,163 yards and 12 touchdowns in the postseason. He also played two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Gronkowski, who grew up in Western New York and now has a full-time residence in Massachusetts, shared how the region made an impact on his life. "New England will always be home," he said, "and I will always love you guys."