Tony Romo

April 21, 2025

Fast Facts
Background
Career Timeline
Why We Love
Surprising Facts
FAQs

Antonio Ramiro Romo, popularly known as Tony Romo, born April 21, 1980, is a former American football quarterback and sports analyst. He was a student at Eastern Illinois University, and then signed with the Cowboys in 2003 as an undrafted free agent. He was a starter for nine years, till he had to retire following an injury in 2016. He was then hired by C.B.S. Sports as a lead color analyst for their N.F.L. telecasts. He has an impressive reputation, blotched only by a lack of postseason success. This brilliant man deserves all the love he gets on his special day, and here is our contribution.

Fast Facts

Full Name:

Antonio Ramiro Romo

Nickname:

Tony

Birth date:

April 21, 1980

Age:

Zodiac Sign:

Taurus

Height:

6' 2"

Relationship Status:

Married

Net Worth:

$70 million

Background

Professionally known as Tony Romo, Antonio Ramiro Romo was born in San Diego, California, on April 21, 1980, to Ramiro Romo Jr. and Joan Jakubowski. His father was stationed at the San Diego U.S. Naval Base. The family eventually moved to Burlington, Wisconsin, where Romo Jr. worked as a carpenter and construction worker, and Jakubowski worked as a clerk for a grocery store. Little Romo played baseball as a kid and got into the Little League All-Star team.

Romo was a student at the public high school and started as the quarterback for the Burlington High School Demons as a junior in the 1996 season. He was also a starter on the varsity basketball team and scored 1,080 points, an all-time high for the school. He got into Eastern Illinois University, Illinois in 1999, where he played for the N.C.A.A. Division I-A.A. Eastern Illinois Panthers football team. He was ranked second in Division I-A.A. in passing efficiency when he was just a sophomore, and he was awarded an All-America honorable mention at the end of the season. Despite his setting school and conference records, Romo was not drafted by any team in the 2003 N.F.L. draft. He was later signed by the Cowboys as a rookie free agent. He played backup for a couple of years, before becoming a starter for many of the Cowboys’ games. He suffered several season-ending injuries, but the final straw was a compression fracture to the L1 vertebra in his back in 2016, before the start of the season. He missed the first ten games, and Dak Prescott assumed his position. Romo announced his retirement from the N.F.L. in 2007 after conceding his position to Prescott.

Following his retirement, he was appointed as the lead Color Analyst for C.B.S. Sports’ N.F.L. Telecasts. He is a highly-rated sports analyst, and his contract with C.B.S. Sports was renewed in February 2020. He married Candice Crawford in May 2011 and the couple has three sons.

Career timeline

1999

The College Football Journey

Romo enrolls at Eastern Illinois University and joins the football team.

2002

The Walter Payton Award

Romo is the first player in Eastern Illinois and Ohio Valley Conference history to win the Walter Payton Award, annually presented to the top Division I-A.A. player.

2003

The Cowboys Signing

After not being picked at the N.F.L. Draft, Romo joins the Cowboys as a free agent.

2007

The Contract is Extended

He agrees to a six-year $67.5 million contract extension with the Cowboys.

2017

The Retirement from Professional Football

After a long winding career playing football, Romo announces his retirement from the N.F.L.

2018

The American Century Championship Win

Reviving an old passion of his, Romo tries his hands at golf again and wins the American Century Championship — a celebrity tournament.

Why We Love Tony Romo

He is a tenacious player
Despite suffering several injuries on the field, Romo returns to complete his games. His father was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2007, but Romo did not allow this to hamper him. He remained determined and focused on his career.
He is a giver
Since 2004, Romo has hosted a youth football camp every summer. He has also participated in numerous community activities in the Dallas area, collaborating with organizations like the Make-A-Wish Foundation and United Way.
He is a man of faith
Romo is a Christian and has publicly spoken about how his faith has helped him navigate professional football, saying, “I found that always having Jesus makes things a lot easier in my life. Having Jesus in your life gives you everlasting peace, which never goes away.”

5 Surprising Facts

His jersey was retired
At the homecoming event in 2009, Romo’s No. 17 jersey was retired, and he is the first Eastern Illinois player to achieve that feat.
He went for the lead role
Just after his retirement, he was snatched up by C.B.S. Sports to take the lead role as a Sports analyst.
He has culturally diverse roots
His mother had German and Polish roots, and his grandfather moved to the U.S. from Coahuila, Mexico as a young man.
He has a massive salary
Romo is one of the highest-paid personnel in Sports broadcasting, and the “highest-paid N.F.L. analyst in television history.”
He was part of a fraternity
While a college student, Romo was part of the Sigma Pi fraternity.