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. He played college football at Eastern Illinois University, where he made an Ohio Valley Conference championship appearance in 2001 and won the Walter Payton Award the following 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. 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. 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. Romo is a "Navy brat," as 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.