Tony Romo

Antonio Ramiro Romo (born April 21, 1980) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys.

Romo started as quarterback for the Burlington High School Demons beginning as a junior (1996 season).

In the 1997 season, Romo and the Demons finished with a 3–6 record, though he earned several honors, including the All-Racine County football team and Wisconsin Football Coaches Association All-State first team honors.

Romo also was a starter on the Burlington High School varsity basketball team and also played golf and tennis.

In 1998, he joined Caron Butler on the All-Racine County (Wisconsin) team.

With per-game averages of 24.3 points, 8.8 rebounds and 4.7 assists, Romo was sought by some mid-major basketball schools in the NCAA such as Wisconsin-Green Bay.

Romo graduated from Burlington High School in 1998, with his 1,080 points being the all-time scoring record for the Burlington basketball varsity.

Romo attended Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Illinois, where he played for the NCAA Division I-AA Eastern Illinois Panthers football team and was a member of Sigma Pi.

As a sophomore in 2000, he ranked second in Division I-AA in passing efficiency, completing 164-of-278 (59%) passes for 2,583 yards and 27 touchdowns.

After the season, he was honored as an All-America honorable mention, an All-Ohio Valley Conference member, and the OVC Player of the Year.

As a junior, he led Division I-AA in passing efficiency, completing 138-of-207 passes for 2,068 yards and 21 touchdowns.

He played college football for the Eastern Illinois Panthers, where he made an Ohio Valley Conference championship appearance in 2001 and won the Walter Payton Award the following year.

Romo earned OVC Player of the Week honors on October 14, 2002, after his eight-yard scramble run on the last play of the game led Eastern Illinois to a 25–24 win over Eastern Kentucky.

On December 19, 2002, Romo became the first player in Eastern Illinois and Ohio Valley Conference history to win the Walter Payton Award, given annually to the top Division I-AA football player.

He finished his career holding school and conference records with 85 touchdown passes.

He finished second in school and third in conference history with 8,212 passing yards and second in school history with 584 completions and 941 attempts.

As a senior, he set school and conference records for completions with 258 in 407 attempts for 3,418 yards.

This was second in conference and third in school history for a season.

He threw for 34 touchdowns and scored one rushing touchdown.

Romo's 3,149 yards in total offense as a senior ranked third in school and conference history.

Along with the Walter Payton Award, Romo earned consensus All-America honors.

In addition, he was selected All-Ohio Valley Conference and was named OVC Player of the Year for the third straight year.

Romo signed with the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2003.

Beginning his career in a backup role, Romo served as the Cowboys' primary starter from 2006 to 2015.

He led the Cowboys to four postseason appearances during his tenure, while also receiving Pro Bowl honors amid each playoff run.

He also held a higher passer rating in the fourth quarter than any other NFL quarterback from 2006 to 2013.

However, Romo's reputation was affected by a lack of postseason success, having won only two of the six playoff games he appeared in and never advancing beyond the divisional round.

His 97.1 passer rating is the highest among retired players who never appeared in the Super Bowl.

Romo was born in San Diego, California, to Ramiro Romo Jr. and Joan Jakubowski.

A "Navy brat", he was born while his father was stationed at the San Diego U.S. Naval Base.

The Romos later returned to Burlington, Wisconsin, where Ramiro worked as a carpenter and construction worker and his wife, Joan, worked as a grocery store clerk.

Romo played baseball as a child and was selected to the Little League All-Star team.

Romo's paternal grandfather, Ramiro Romo Sr., emigrated from Múzquiz, Coahuila, Mexico, to San Antonio, Texas, as an adolescent.

The elder Romo cites Tony's success as an example of the possibilities afforded to immigrants in the United States: "I've always said this is a country of opportunities. If you don't get a job or an education, it's because you don't want to."

Romo's mother has German and Polish ancestry.

During homecoming weekend on October 17, 2009, Eastern Illinois University retired Romo's No. 17 jersey and inducted him into EIU's Hall of Fame.

Romo is the first Eastern Illinois player to have his number retired.

Romo retired after the 2016 season when a preseason back injury caused him to lose his starting position to backup Dak Prescott.

Upon retiring, he was hired by CBS Sports to become the lead color analyst for their NFL telecasts.

Romo holds several Cowboys team records, including passing touchdowns, passing yards, most games with at least 300 passing yards, and games with three or more touchdown passes.