Throughout the team’s history, the Dallas Cowboys have produced several memorable quarterbacks.
When the franchise began play in 1960, its quarterback was rookie “Dandy” Don Meredith.
Meredith played long enough for Roger Staubach to take over.
After some lean years with Danny White in the mid-to-late 1980s, Troy Aikman arrived in 1989 to guide Dallas into the new century.
He retired after the 2000 season and suddenly the Cowboys couldn’t find consistency at the quarterback position.
By 2005, the franchise was already starting its eighth signal caller since 2000.
Finally, in 2006, Tony Romo emerged from the shadows and took over under center.
Buried on the depth chart since 2003, Romo got his opportunity and held onto it for a decade.
Tony Romo's Career Stats:
156 Games
65.3 Comp. %
34,183 Pass Yds
248 TDs – 117 INTs
97.1 Passer Rating
4x Pro Bowler pic.twitter.com/gevxz1k69m— NFL Stats (@NFL_Stats) April 4, 2017
During his time at the helm of America’s Team, Romo set a number of team and NFL records and was selected to four Pro Bowls.
Upon his retirement, Romo began a second career as an analyst for CBS Sports.
This is the story of Tony Romo.
Natural Athlete
Antonio “Tony” Ramiro Romo was born on April 21, 1980, in San Diego, California.
Born this Day: Tony Romo#Cowboys 2003-2016
4x Pro Bowl
34183 Pass Yds
248 Pass TD
97.1 QB Rating (11th All-Time)
7.9 Y/A (T8th All-Time)
5 Rush TD pic.twitter.com/fm42yzJvBq— Every Play Super Bowl XXXI (@sconiesportsguy) April 21, 2023
At the time, his father, Ramiro, was serving in the Navy.
When Tony was in elementary school, Ramiro ended his service time and the family moved to Burlington, Wisconsin.
The Romo’s lived a simple life with Ramiro working in construction and Tony’s mother, Joan, working at a local golf course.
Tony would go to work with his mom each morning and work on his tee shots before the school bus picked him up.
Baseball also became a favorite of Tony’s and he eventually played well enough to get selected for a Little League All-Star team.
Romo continued playing golf and baseball through middle school and added basketball as well.
When he enrolled at Burlington High School as a freshman, Romo went out for soccer and decided he didn’t like the sport.
He then made his way to the football team intent on becoming the Demons starting quarterback.
Romo rode the pine for the remainder of the year and was injured all of his sophomore season.
Starter
As a junior, Romo became the starter and lit up the night in the second game of the 1996 season.
“He threw for over 300 yards, which was something pretty abnormal at the time,” said Steve Tenhagen, a former teammate of Romo’s.
He kept improving and 300-yard passing games became common for Romo.
Tony Romo 16 Burlington High School Demons Black Football Jersey with Patch USD 72.99https://t.co/yTunKuGVI1 pic.twitter.com/NvoIbo9k0T
— Boriz shirts (@BorizShirts) September 29, 2018
Burlington went 7-2 in ‘96 and came within a game of playing in the state championship.
Romo was selected as an honorable mention in the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association.
During his senior year, the Demons could only muster three wins, but Romo was voted All-County and first-team All-State by the WFCA.
“It was pretty evident when you watched him compete versus other schools and other kids that he stood apart,” said Steve Berezowitz, an assistant high school football coach who worked with Romo.
Once the football season ended, Romo pivoted to basketball and averaged over 24 points, eight boards, and nearly five assists per game.
Tony Romo – (1998)
Burlington High School (Wisconsin)Tony Romo (#Cowboys) was the GOAT of Wisconsin before Aaron Rodgers pic.twitter.com/CjF62El2ED
— History of Sports (@BeforeFamePics) January 16, 2017
He was so talented on the hardwood that Caron Butler, who played against Romo in high school and eventually played in the NBA, said Romo could have played pro ball.
“Believe it or not, man, when we were in the prime of our careers, I used to always talk about it: [Romo] could have easily been a professional basketball player,” Caron Butler told ESPN in 2017. “And a lot of people were like, ‘Man, you’re crazy for saying that,’ but Tony could shoot. He could handle the ball. He had a knack for scoring, man, he really did.”
Romo finished his senior basketball season as the all-time career-scoring leader for the Demons.
Eastern Illinois
For all the talent Romo had to play basketball, he believed his athletic future was on the gridiron.
The only problem was, there wasn’t a lot of interest in him from Division I schools.
“You know those guys who threw a nice, tight spiral in high school?” said Romo in 2006. “That wasn’t me.”
The coaches at Division I-AA Eastern Illinois, only a few hours from Romo’s home, were interested, however.
They offered him a partial scholarship and Romo took the opportunity.
When he began practicing as a freshman, the Panthers coaches weren’t quite sold on Romo.
“He was raw,” said Roy Wittke, Romo’s coach at Eastern Illinois, in 2006. “I don’t want to paint a negative picture of Tony, but when he got to Eastern, he didn’t know how to practice or how to compete in practice to make himself better.”
In order to mold Romo into a college quarterback, the Panther coaches had to constantly push him.
“The coaches at Eastern were incredibly tough on Tony,” said friend and former college teammate Tom Brewer. “They didn’t think he could play, period.”
Not one to back down from a challenge, Romo worked his tail off to improve.
“I threw the ball so much that there was no way not to improve,” said Romo. “I threw six days a week, lots of hours a day, the whole year. I never stopped.”
Romo finally got on the field in 2000 and started every game in the Panthers’ 8-4 season.
Jim Nantz has revealed former Eastern Illinois quarterback Tony Romo, the 2002 Walter Payton Award recipient, will be named Monday in the 2021 induction class of the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame. Stats Perform has presented the FCS Awards since 2015. pic.twitter.com/58jEZBgzId
— FCS Football (@FCS_STATS) January 11, 2021
All the hard work paid off when he completed almost 60% of his passes (second-best in I-AA) for 2,583 yards, 27 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions.
He was then selected as the Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year, All-OVC, and honorable mention All-American.
Walter Payton Award Winner
In 2001, Romo was a third-team All-American and OVC Player of the Year after passing for 2,068 yards, 21 touchdowns, and only six picks while leading the Panthers to a 9-2 record.
His passer rating of 178.3 led all Division I-AA quarterbacks.
Then, during his senior year in 2002, Romo cemented his legacy at Eastern Illinois.
Eastern Illinois QB Tony Romo goes to handoff. #ThrowbackThursday pic.twitter.com/i52kTU2iwI
— Quarterback Club (@TheNewQBClub) March 9, 2017
That season he threw for 3,165 yards, 34 touchdowns (a conference and program record), and 16 interceptions as the Panthers went 8-4 and went to the FCS playoffs for the third year in a row.
His stats led to a first-team All-American nod, All-OVC for the third time, and Romo became the first three-time OVC Player of the Year in conference history.
Romo was also voted as the winner of the prestigious Walter Payton Award, Division I-AA’s version of the Heisman Trophy.
During his college career, Romo had 7,816 passing yards, 82 touchdowns (program and OVC record), and 34 interceptions.
In 2009, Romo had his number 17 retired by Eastern Illinois and the school inducted him into its Hall of Fame.
Former Eastern Illinois and Dallas Cowboys QB Tony Romo was announced as a new member of the College Football Hall of Fame:https://t.co/GVORJmF7I3 pic.twitter.com/PIu3Egh5QY
— 247Sports (@247Sports) January 11, 2021
Romo was also inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2021.
Overlooked Again
Despite all the awards and accolades in college, Romo was once again dismissed, this time by the NFL.
He was not selected in the 2003 NFL Draft as many pro personnel directors were put off by Romo’s throwing mechanics.
“His mechanics were a little scary,” said Tampa Bay’s director Mark Dominik. “He didn’t have a great release. He was on our radar screen, but like everyone else, we took him off the board.”
Romo himself believed he was a long shot to make the NFL in the first place, especially when compared to fellow 2003 quarterback candidates such as Carson Palmer and Byron Leftwich.
“In my heart of hearts,” said Romo, “I knew those guys threw the ball better than me.”
Thankfully the coaching staff of the Dallas Cowboys wanted to sign Romo as an undrafted free agent.
Tony Romo went undrafted in 2003. These QB were taken instead. pic.twitter.com/ObbrgV0SjZ
— Andrew Siciliano (@AndrewSiciliano) April 4, 2017
Cowboys quarterbacks coach Sean Payton got in touch with the quarterback and told him how much he enjoyed Romo’s college career.
Payton had also been a signal-caller at Eastern Illinois and he had shown Romo’s highlight tape to then-Dallas head coach Bill Parcells.
Throwback Thursday: Both Sean Payton and Tony Romo played QB at Eastern Illinois University #tbt pic.twitter.com/728mBHa3d2
— Sunday Night Football on NBC (@SNFonNBC) September 25, 2014
After his conversation with Payton, Romo signed with Dallas.
Buried on the depth chart behind Chad Hutchinson, Quincy Carter, and Clint Stoerner, Romo did not get any playing time in his rookie year.
In 2004, the Cowboys dismissed Carter after he failed a drug test.
The team then brought in Drew Henson and long-time vet Vinny Testaverde.
That kept Romo tied to the bench, although he was used as a holder for kicks.
“I really believe I handled him the right way when he was young,” Parcells said in 2017. “If I had thrown him in there, it would have been tough. He was indiscriminate. It took a while. When we got [Vinny] Testaverde down there [in 2004], it was a big help to Tony. Vinny was very meticulous, very studious, very professional in his training and his weightlifting. Tony got to see that.”
Romo Gets His Chance
After the 2004 season, Testaverde left Dallas but Parcells brought in Drew Bledsoe, his former quarterback with New England.
Bledsoe started all 16 games in 2005 and helped the Cowboys to a 9-7 record.
Meanwhile, Romo continued to hold during kicks but also strongly believed he’d eventually get his shot and make the most of it.
“I’m not just going to play,” Romo would tell Brewer. “I’m going to be in the Hall of Fame. I don’t care who’s ahead of me.”
In Week 7 of the 2006 season, Romo finally got an opportunity to showcase his talent.
The Cowboys were playing on Monday Night Football against division rival New York Giants and were down, 12-7, at halftime.
Bledsoe wasn’t exactly setting the world on fire and Parcells had had enough.
Romo was inserted for the second half and promptly threw three picks, but played respectably in a 36-22 loss.
Parcells believed in Romo enough to keep him as the starter for the remainder of the ‘06 season.
Tony Romo made his 1st career start & earned his 1st win against the Carolina Panthers on October 29th, 2006 pic.twitter.com/MfJBBhM5WE
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) November 25, 2015
By Week 13, the coach looked like a genius as Romo took the NFL by storm.
Dallas won five of their next six games after the Giants’ loss and also beat New York when the two teams met again in December.
After that contest, Romo led all NFL quarterbacks with a 102.4 passer rating and had completed nearly 70% of his passes.
“This kid is for real,” said Cowboys veteran guard Marco Rivera. “He can take charge in the huddle. He can lead the team. He can play.”
With a 9-7 record, the Cowboys went to the playoffs and were eliminated by Seattle by a point in the Wild Card round.
The game was lost when Dallas lined up for a 20-yard field goal and Romo (who was the holder) bobbled the snap, tried to reach pay dirt, but was tackled short of the end zone.
16 years ago tonight…#Cowboys holder Tony Romo bungles the snap on a potential go-ahead 19-yard field goal attempt with 1:19 remaining in the 2006 NFC Wild Card Game.
The #Seahawks prevail in Seattle, 21-20. pic.twitter.com/pGperf1TpY
— Kevin Gallagher (@KevG163) January 6, 2023
In his third year as a pro, Romo passed for 2,903 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions and was voted to the Pro Bowl.
Mr. Celebrity
Not even a year after toiling in obscurity, Romo was suddenly the darling of the NFL.
In 2007, he threw for 4,211 yards, 36 touchdowns (career-high), 19 picks, and rushed for a career-high 129 yards and two scores, leading to another Pro Bowl selection.
“What can you not like about Tony?” Cowboys receiver Terrell Owens said. “Student of the game, great athlete, and every receiver out there knows he might get the ball on every play.”
Team owner Jerry Jones knew he had a franchise quarterback in the making and signed Romo to a huge six-year, $67.5 million extension.
Late in the ‘07 season, Romo began dating actress Jessica Simpson, which led to controversy.
Skip Bayless — Jessica Simpson Damaged Tony Romo … 'Tumultuous Relationship': Jessica Simpson almost ruined Tony Romo's NFL career –… pic.twitter.com/eJLioged3K
— – (@COUPSLEADER) October 13, 2016
Before a Week 15 contest against the Philadelphia Eagles, Simpson was a guest of Romo’s and the Cowboys lost at home, 10-6.
Then, after a 13-3 season, Dallas met the Giants for a Divisional round game at home.
The media reported before the game that Simpson, Romo, and Cowboys teammates Jason Witten and Bobby Carpenter had spent a few days in Cabo San Lucas.
#Cowboys Jerry Jones speaks on change of heart in playing Tony Romo, and why 2007 Cabo trip was irrelevant »https://t.co/LCO6OtyHVQ pic.twitter.com/lv5YYEwVan
— Patrik [No C] Walker (@VoiceOfTheStar) January 3, 2017
When Dallas lost the playoff game to New York, Cowboys fans erupted, believing that Simpson was a bad influence on Romo.
The couple would break up two years later.
Romo Wins a Playoff Game
In 2008, Romo passed for over 3,400 yards and 26 scores, but Dallas failed to make the postseason.
One year later, the ‘Boys won 11 games after Romo had 4,483 yards, 26 touchdowns, and nine picks, leading to his third Pro Bowl.
Most Valuable Dallas Cowboys of the decade per PFF WAR:
1. Tony Romo
2. Dak Prescott
3. Dez Bryant
4. Jason Witten
5. Byron Jones(powered by @awscloud) pic.twitter.com/AdBgEjbPdF
— PFF (@PFF) July 22, 2020
Additionally, he took every snap of the season, a feat that no Cowboys quarterback had ever accomplished.
Dallas faced the Eagles in the Wild Card round and Romo led the team to a 34-14 victory courtesy of a 104.9 passer rating.
It was the first postseason win of Romo’s career and the first playoff win for Dallas since 1996.
Romo’s Ability is Called into Question
After making the playoffs in 2009, the Cowboys encountered a dry spell and it would be five years before the team returned to the postseason.
Romo missed several games in 2010 with an injury but bounced back in 2011 with 4,184 yards and 31 touchdowns and four fourth-quarter comebacks.
That same season proved that the quarterback could play through pain when he suffered a punctured lung and broken rib in Week 2 and a severely bruised hand in Week 16.
Despite the gruesome injuries, Romo started all 16 games.
He started every game again in 2012 and passed for a career-high (and franchise-best) 4,903 yards, 28 touchdowns, and an NFL-leading 19 picks.
In 2012, Tony Romo broke a single-season record for Dallas in most passing yards, 4,903. He also has 2nd & 3rd most. pic.twitter.com/zMMFrTwg76
— Cowboys History (@CowboysHistory) March 5, 2015
By the end of the ‘12 season, NFL writers began blaming Romo for Dallas’ lack of postseason appearances.
For the second year in a row, the Cowboys had an 8-8 record and many in the media believed blame for the team’s mediocrity was solely Romo’s.
“Well, he’s played really well in a lot of these big games in his career,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said late in the season. “We just haven’t gotten it done as a football team. Tony’s certainly a part of that, but everybody’s a part of that. We just have to try to get better. We have to get ourselves in this kind of position again.”
Even with the backlash, Jones re-signed Romo again before the 2013 season for $108 million over six years.
The quarterback responded with 3,828 yards, 31 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, and a 506-yard passing day against Denver in Week 5.
Late in a Week 16 game against Washington, Romo led the Cowboys to a 24-23 win despite playing with a herniated disk.
“He might have had his finest hour … We talk about mental toughness, being your best, regardless of circumstances,” said Garrett. “Somehow, some way, he helped us win that ballgame.”
Romo was then placed on injured reserve as he underwent back surgery and Dallas missed the playoffs again with a third straight 8-8 record.
Back on Top
All the talk about Romo’s lack of playoff-worthy football was put to rest in 2014.
After a rough loss to San Francisco in the season opener, Romo and the Cowboys tore off six straight wins on the way to a 12-4 record.
Along the way, he had 3,705 yards, 34 touchdowns, and nine picks and led the NFL in several statistical categories.
They included completion percentage (113.2), touchdown percentage (7.8), and quarterback rating (79.2).
Tony Romo 2014 Stats:
Comp. %: 69.9 (1st)
Yards: 3,705 (14th)
TDs: 34 (4th)
Passer Rating: 113.2 (1st) #Cowboys pic.twitter.com/iujxqDGbz8— NFL Stats (@NFL_Stats) August 15, 2015
During the month of December, Romo was so locked in that his 133.7 quarterback rating was the highest for a single month in NFL history.
He was voted to his fourth Pro Bowl and received his first and only All-Pro award.
Dallas played Detroit in the Wild Card round and Romo helped the Cowboys come back to win after being down 17-7 at halftime.
The following week, he passed for 191 yards and two touchdowns, but it wasn’t enough to get Dallas past Green Bay.
Cowboys fans were incensed during the contest when receiver Dez Bryant appeared to make a huge 31-yard reception from Romo to get the team to the Packers’ one-yard line.
Officials then ruled that Bryant juggled the pass and called it an incompletion, effectively ending Dallas’ season.
All Good Things Come to an End
Romo began 2015 well but broke a collarbone against the Eagles in Week 2.
He returned in Week 11 and led Dallas to a win against Miami before tossing three picks against Carolina in the first half of their Thanksgiving contest.
Late in the game, Romo re-injured his shoulder and was done for the year.
Before the 2016 season, the Cowboys drafted Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott in the fourth round, a clear signal to Romo.
Then, while playing in the preseason, Romo sustained a back injury and missed most of the season.
On this date in 2016, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo suffers an injury, opening the door for rookie QB Dak Prescott.
Prescott led the Cowboys to a 13-3 record in the regular season, and Romo played just one more game in his NFL career. pic.twitter.com/gFcmpUDonG
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) August 25, 2022
When he was ready to return in Week 11, Prescott had led the team to eight straight wins.
With the Cowboys rolling under Prescott’s leadership, Garrett kept him in the lineup and Romo sat on the bench.
It was clear that Dallas was now Prescott’s team and Romo called it a career in early 2017.
“I was glad he retired,” Bill Parcells said. “Enough is enough. You got to know, this is hazardous to your health.”
During his career, Romo had totals of 34,183 passing yards, 248 touchdowns, 117 interceptions, 620 rushing yards, and five rushing scores.
He was a four-time Pro Bowler, one-time All-Pro, and led the NFL in passer rating and completion percentage in 2014.
With ESPN re-airing the 2007 DAL-BUF MNF game tonight at 8 ET:
Tony Romo was no stranger to comeback wins.
from 2006-15 as Dallas' primary starting QB, his 24 wins after trailing in the 4th qtr are tied with Matt Ryan and Peyton Manning for the most in the NFL over that span. pic.twitter.com/C6YYQq5poc
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) April 27, 2020
Additionally, Romo set several franchise records including career passing yards and touchdowns, games with at least 300 passing yards (46), and most fourth-quarter comebacks (28).
He also set NFL records for most games in a season with a passer rating of at least 135.0 (6) and most consecutive road games with at least one touchdown pass (41).
Not long after his football retirement, Romo became a member of the Dallas Mavericks for one game, fulfilling a lifelong dream of being on an NBA team.
Dallas owner Mark Cuban had Romo suit up for the Mavs final game of the 2016-2017 season, but he sat on the bench and did not play.
Second Career
Almost as soon as Romo left the playing field, he walked right into the broadcast booth as an analyst for CBS.
He was paired with Jim Nantz and immediately received kudos for his good work.
By 2019, the New Yorker was calling Romo a, “genius of football commentary.”
In 2020, CBS re-signed him to a 10-year contract that will pay him an astonishing $17 million per year.
The pats on the back and huge contract seemed to go to Romo’s head as he was criticized in 2021 for sounding unprepared.
That year, reports surfaced that CBS had intervened to get Romo back on track.
Although Romo’s performance did not improve much in 2022, the network announced on July 24, 2023, that he would be back for the upcoming year.
CBS Sports Unveils 2023 @NFLonCBS Announcer Lineup for its Super Bowl Season
Lead Team of Jim Nantz, Tony Romo & Tracy Wolfson Returns for 7th Season & 3rd Super Bowl Together
J.J. Watt, Matt Ryan, Jason McCourty & Ross Tucker Join as Analysts
Release: https://t.co/BhFi4R9qQR pic.twitter.com/59Ks9Tr4MA
— CBS Sports PR (@CBSSportsGang) July 24, 2023
When he’s not working for CBS or appearing in commercials, Romo can be found playing in the occasional golf tournament with pros such as Tiger Woods.
Romo is currently married to former journalist Candice Crawford and the couple has three sons.
In 2022, Burlington High School dedicated its new football field to Romo, calling it Tony Romo Field.
References
https://vault.si.com/vault/2006/12/11/silver-star
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Romo
https://eiupanthers.com/news/2021/1/11/tony-romo-selected-for-college-football-hall-of-fame
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/R/RomoTo00.htm
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