Tony Romo: From Undrafted to Dallas Cowboys Legend

Antonio Ramiro Romo, born on April 21, 1980, is a former American football quarterback whose journey from a small-town Wisconsin high school to the Dallas Cowboys is a testament to hard work, determination, and seizing opportunities. His college career at Eastern Illinois University (EIU) laid the foundation for a successful NFL career, marked by franchise records and Pro Bowl appearances.

Early Life and High School Career

Romo was born in San Diego, California, to Ramiro Romo Jr., while his father was stationed at a Naval Base. His paternal grandfather, Ramiro Romo Sr., emigrated from Múzquiz, Coahuila, Mexico, to San Antonio, Texas, highlighting the opportunities available to immigrants in the United States.

Romo started as quarterback for the Burlington High School Demons as a junior in 1996. 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 played basketball, golf, and tennis. In 1998, he joined Caron Butler on the All-Racine County (Wisconsin) team.

College Career at Eastern Illinois University

After a stellar high school career, Romo attended Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Illinois, where he played for the NCAA Division I-AA Eastern Illinois Panthers football team. Despite not being heavily recruited, Romo chose EIU, a decision that would prove pivotal in his development.

Overcoming Initial Challenges

Romo overcame a slow start at Eastern Illinois, ultimately impressing his college coaches when they nearly gave up on him. Because he struggled early, coach Bob Spoo considered moving Romo to a new position at the end of his redshirt freshman season. Offensive coordinator Roy Wittke thought it was best to give Romo a last chance at quarterback, and understanding the situation, Romo challenged himself and pushed himself to the extreme.

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Sophomore Success

As a sophomore in 2000, Romo ranked second in Division I-AA in passing efficiency, completing 164-of-278 (59%) passes for 2,583 yards and 27 touchdowns. This performance earned him All-America honors and the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) Player of the Year award.

Continued Dominance

In his junior year, Romo continued to excel, connecting on 138 of his 207 pass attempts for 2,068 yards and 21 touchdowns. The team benefited from his presence, finishing as the OVC's top unit in 2001, a feat they'd repeat the next year.

Record-Breaking Senior Season

His senior season's statistical output shattered previous quarterbacking records. He posted 3,418 yards, 34 touchdowns, and walked away with the ever-coveted Walter Payton Player of the Year award, plus another OVC POTY for good measure.

Legacy at Eastern Illinois

The winner of the 2002 Walter Payton Award as the top player in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), Tony Romo goes down as one of the greatest players in Eastern Illinois history. A First Team All-American in 2002, Romo became the first three-time Ohio Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Year in league history. The Walter Payton Award winner led the Panthers to consecutive conference titles (2001, 2002) and three-straight FCS Playoff berths. A three-time First Team All-OVC selection, Romo set conference and school records for single-season (34 in 2002) and career (85) touchdown passes, which remained unbroken for more than a decade. The 2001 Third Team All-American owns the school record with a 157.5 career passing efficiency, and he ranks third in career passing yards with 8,212.

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.

NFL Career with the Dallas Cowboys

Despite his college success, Romo did not initially receive an invitation to attend the 2003 NFL Combine, but received a late invitation to attend as an extra quarterback to throw passes to other prospects during drills. Despite intriguing some scouts, he went undrafted by any NFL team during the 2003 NFL draft.

Undrafted Free Agent

Throughout the draft, Romo was assured by Dallas assistant head coach Sean Payton of the Cowboys' interest, and shortly afterwards was signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the Dallas Cowboys. Romo entered the 2003 training camp third on the Cowboys' depth chart behind Quincy Carter and Chad Hutchinson.

Climbing the Depth Chart

In 2004, the Cowboys released Hutchinson and signed veteran quarterback Vinny Testaverde and traded a third-round draft pick to the Houston Texans for quarterback Drew Henson. Romo faced being cut from the roster until Carter was released following allegations of substance abuse. One of Romo's early career highlights was in 2004, when (as the third-string quarterback) he rushed for the winning touchdown with six seconds left in a preseason game against the Oakland Raiders. Elevated to the Cowboys' second quarterback in 2005, Romo had strong showings in the 2005 and 2006 pre-seasons.

Becoming the Starter

Romo began the season as a backup to starter Drew Bledsoe. He took his first regular season snap at quarterback during a Week 6 34-6 victory over the Houston Texans. Romo's first NFL pass was a 33-yard completion to wide receiver Sam Hurd. A week later, Romo replaced Bledsoe for the start of the second half of a game against the New York Giants. His first pass was tipped and intercepted. During Week 11 against the Indianapolis Colts, the NFL's last unbeaten, Romo completed 19-of-23 passes for 226 yards and an interception as the Cowboys won by a score of 21-14. Four days later, he helped the Cowboys win in a Thanksgiving Day game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers by a score of 38-10. Romo aided the Cowboys in clinching a playoff spot, their second since Parcells became coach in 2003.

Playoff Heartbreak

The Cowboys played the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Wild Card Round. With the Cowboys trailing 21-20 on fourth-and-one with 1:19 left in the game, the Cowboys attempted a 19-yard field goal. Romo, the holder for the kick, fumbled the snap. He recovered the ball and attempted to run it in, but was tackled short of the first down marker, and turned the ball over on the Seattle 2-yard line.

Pro Bowl Selection

Romo played in the 2007 Pro Bowl after Drew Brees went down with an elbow injury as a substitution for Marc Bulger.

2007 Season

During the season-opening 45-35 victory over the New York Giants, Romo threw for 345 yards, four touchdowns, and an interception to go along with three carries for 11 yards and his first rushing touchdown. Romo earned NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors for his performance against the Giants. Two weeks later against the Chicago Bears, Romo threw for 329 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception during a 34-10 victory. In the next game, he had 339 passing yards and three touchdowns to go along with three carries 24 yards and a touchdown during a 35-7 victory over the St. Louis Rams. Romo earned NFC Offensive Player of the Month for September. In September 2007, Romo's father was diagnosed with prostate cancer. In the Cowboys' Divisional Round game against the New York Giants, Romo was unable to lead his team to a come-from-behind victory. On fourth down with less than half a minute and no timeouts left, Romo threw the ball into the end zone, but it was intercepted by Giants cornerback R. W.

2008 Season

During the season-opening 28-10 road victory over the Cleveland Browns, Romo completed 24-of-32 passes for 320 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. After the game, Romo required 13 stitches for a large gash on his chin that occurred during the third quarter when linebacker Willie McGinest hit Romo in the chin with his helmet. The NFL fined McGinest $7,500 for the hit. In the next game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Romo completed 21-of-30 passes for 312 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception during a 41-37 victory. Romo and the Cowboys won their third straight game against the Green Bay Packers before losing to the Washington Redskins in Week 4, falling to 3-1. Following a Week 5 31-22 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, Romo was injured in a loss to the Arizona Cardinals. The Cowboys, under Brad Johnson, went 1-2 the next three games, losing to the St. In what became a de facto third playoff game for Romo shortly prior to its start, the Cowboys failed to compete against the Eagles in a 44-6 road loss during the regular-season finale.

2009 Season

During a Week 13 31-24 road loss to the Giants, Romo threw for a career-high 392 yards and three touchdowns. In the next game against the San Diego Chargers, Romo resumed holding duties for the first time since 2006 after several kicks were missed by kicker Nick Folk due to bad holds by punter Mat McBriar. The following week, Romo led the Cowboys to a win against an undefeated team late in the season for the second time in his career. Romo finished the 2009 season as the first quarterback in team history to take every snap for a full season. He also passed his own mark for single season passing yardage, with 4,483 yards, and became the first Cowboys quarterback to throw more than 20 touchdowns and fewer than 10 interceptions in a season. Romo's eight 300-yard games were also a team record, surpassing his own record from 2007.

2010 Season

During a Week 5 34-27 loss to the Tennessee Titans, Romo threw for a career-high 406 yards and three touchdowns, but he also threw two costly interceptions in the fourth quarter. By mid-October, the Cowboys were desperate for a win with a record of 1-3 and last in the division. They played against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 6, who also had a 1-3 record and were in need of a win.

2011 Season

Romo had four fourth-quarter comebacks in 2011. During Week 2 against the San Francisco 49ers, Romo suffered a broken rib and a punctured lung on a hit from Carlos Rogers in the second quarter that forced him to miss part of the game. Romo came back in the final seconds of the third quarter and played the fourth quarter throwing for a touchdown and driving down the field for the game-tying field goal with four seconds left in the game to force overtime. On the first offensive possession for the Cowboys in overtime, Romo connected with Jesse Holley for 77 yards to set up the 19 yard game-winning field goal. Romo finished the game with 345 yards and two touchdowns with a 116.4 rating despite the cracked rib and punctured lung. Romo posted the second highest quarterback rating of his career with a rating of 148.40 during a Week 10 44-7 victory over the Buffalo Bills. During a Week 16 20-7 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, Romo left the game after attempting just two passes with no completions after suffering a severely bruised hand when he smashed it against an opposing player's helmet. In the regular-season finale at MetLife Stadium against the New York Giants, the NFC East title and a playoff spot was at stake for whichever team won, with the loser eliminated from playoff contention. Romo started the game despite the hand injury the previous week. Romo accounted for 32 of the 39 total touchdowns the Cowboys scored in the 2011 NFL season (82.1%). No other player in the 2011 regular season contributed a higher percentage of team touchdowns (Cam Newton with 72.9% was second).

2012 Season

During the season-opening 24-17 road victory over the New York Giants, Romo threw for 307 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception. During a Week 8 29-24 loss to the Giants, he passed for 437 yards, a touchdown, and four interceptions while attempting a career-high 62 passes. In Week 12, against the Washington Redskins on Thanksgiving Day, he passed for 441 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions. He matched his career-best 62 pass attempts in the 38-31 loss. In a Week 13 38-33 win against the Philadelphia Eagles, Romo threw three touchdown passes. After trailing the Cincinnati Bengals 19-10 with 6:35 left, Dallas narrowly won 20-19 in Week 14 (December 9). The fourth quarter comeback consisted of a 27-yard touchdown pass from Romo to Bryant and a last-second 40-yard field goal by Bailey to win 20-19. Topping a three-game winning streak and winning its fifth out of six games, Dallas beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 27-24 in overtime in Week 15 (December 16). The win put Dallas in a three-way tie with the New York Giants and Washington Redskins in the NFC East. During Week 16, despite Romo's four touchdown passes and 416 passing yards (on 26-for-43 passing), the Cowboys lost to the New Orleans Saints, 34-31, in overtime. Following that game, Dallas and the Washington Redskins faced off in Week 17 for the NFC East title, where Dallas lost on the road by a score of 28-18. With overall 20-for-37 passing, Romo threw a total of three interceptions, including on Dallas' first two drives. With 5:50 left and down 21-10, Romo made a touchdown pass to Kevin Ogletree and two-point conversion pass to Dwayne Harris. After Dallas took over with 3:33 left down 21-18, Romo threw an interception to Redskins linebacker Rob Jackson, and Washington clinched the victory with another touchdown. Dallas finished the 2012 season with an 8-8 record and failed to make the playoffs for the third straight season.

Contract Extension

Following the season, the future of Romo's career was called into question. On March 29, 2013, the Cowboys signed Romo to a six-year extension worth $108 million, with $55 million guaranteed and $25 million in bonuses, thus securing him for the rest of his career and relieving the pressure from the salary cap, which was reported to have less than $25,000 space before the deal was struck. In the middle of April 2013, Romo underwent back surgery to remove a cyst.

2013 Season

Romo opened the season with a 36-31 victory over the New York Giants, passing for 263 yards and two touchdowns. He briefly left the game with a rib injury, but returned after halftime and finished the game. During a narrow Week 16 24-23 victory over the Washington Redskins, with the Cowboys trailing in the fourth quarter and needing a win to keep its playoff hopes alive, Romo led the team to a touchdown drive with 1:08 remaining, with what was later diagnosed as a season-ending herniated disk injury. Head coach Jason Garrett would later say: "He might have had his finest hour … We talk about mental toughness, being your best, regardless of circumstances.

2014 Season

After a poor performance in the season opening 28-17 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, Romo and the Cowboys won six consecutive games, including back-to-back road games against the Tennessee Titans (26-10) and the St. Louis Rams (34-31). The Cowboys also defeated the defending champion Seattle Seahawks 30-23 on the road, becoming only the second team to win a road game against the Seahawks in the three seasons. During a Week 5 20-17 overtime victory over the Houston Texans, Romo pulled off a memorable escape from J. J. Watt's pursuit on a play that resulted in Romo throwing a 43-yard touchdown. Through those six wins, Romo had a 13:3 touchdown:interception ratio. During a Week 8 20-17 overtime loss to the Washington Redskins, Romo went down with a back injury after linebacker Keenan Robinson sacked him, with his knee going into Romo's back. On December 21, Romo set the Cowboys team record for highest completion percentage in a game with 90%, completing 18-of-20 passes in a 42-7 blowout victory over the Indianapolis Colts. He set his personal best quarterback rating in a single game with 151.7. During the Wild Card Round of the playoffs, Romo led the Cowboys to a 24-20 comeback victory over the Detroit Lions after being down 17-7 at halftime. He was 19-of-31 for 293 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. In the Divisional Round, Romo and the Cowboys were defeated by the Green Bay Packers, 26-21. Romo was 15-of-19 …

Losing the Starting Job and Retirement

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

Legacy and Post-Playing Career

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.

Since retiring with the Cowboys, Romo has served as the lead color analyst for CBS' NFL telecasts, working alongside Jim Nantz. He's likely to carve out a much more prominent football niche for himself speaking than he ever did playing.

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