Tony Romo Wiki: Everything To Know About The Former 'Dallas Cowboys' Quarterback

Tony Romo is a former Dallas Cowboys quarterback currently working as an American football television analyst. Romo played fourteen seasons in the NFL with the Cowboys, leading them to the playoffs on four different occasions. While he never appeared in a Super Bowl game and doesn't have the best playoff record, Romo is one of the Cowboys' most successful quarterbacks and holds multiple team records. Romo has a net worth of 70 million dollars and has made more money than any other undrafted player in the history of the NFL. Romo is a massive football success story and now that he's made the move to providing live coverage of football games, he's bound to be around the league for years to come.

Romo grew up in Burlington, Wisconsin, where he was incredibly active in sports from a young age. His interest in sports didn't stay solely with football; Romo played baseball, basketball, tennis and even golf when he was younger. Romo played as part of the Burlington Little League All-Star team as a child, but his dedication to baseball didn't follow him into high school. In high school Romo was part of his school's varsity basketball team, as well as the school's tennis and golf teams. Of course Romo's main focus was on football. Romo was the starting quarterback for the Burlington High School Demons for his junior and senior years of school. The Demons didn't have the highest record, never making it to any playoffs within the state, but Romo was given several awards for excelling on the football field. Despite two losing seasons, Romo had the opportunity to hone his skills and really learn the game during his high school years.

Romo went to Eastern Illinois University, where he played quarterback for the Eastern Illinois Panthers football team. The Panthers weren't known for their football team by any means, and very rarely did players from the school move onto the NFL. Romo's skills on the field surpassed all expectations and by the end of his college career he received numerous awards and set both school and conference records. Romo was the first player in the Ohio Valley Conference's history to win the Walter Payton Award - given to the most outstanding offensive player. Romo was also named the Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year his sophomore, junior and senior years. Considered Eastern Illinois University's biggest success story, in 2009 the school held a ceremony to retire Romo's jersey number and induct him into the school's hall of fame.

There aren't many professional sports stars that have a story quite like Romo's. In 2003 Romo wasn't drafted by any NFL team and it looked like a professional career wasn't in the cards for him. Luckily, there were a couple teams interested in Romo. In the same year Romo was signed as a rookie free agent to the Dallas Cowboys and went to training camp as the third string quarterback. Romo started off simply running through plays during practice when the starting quarterback needed to rest, rarely seeing time on the field during actual games. Thankfully that didn't last long, and Romo made his first in-game appearance in 2004. Still the third string quarterback, Romo came in the game with six seconds left and ran the ball into the endzone for a touchdown. In 2006 Romo's career really took off. In his first game as the starting quarterback, Romo led the Cowboys to a stunning victory, winning by over twenty points. By the middle of the season Romo was officially named the Cowboys' starting quarterback and remained in the starting spot until 2015. Romo's net worth skyrocketed during those years. Romo saw tons of success throughout his long career and is often named one of the top three greatest Cowboys quarterbacks of all-time. The one thing that holds Romo back is his playoff record. Romo was incredible on the field, made amazing plays during both the preseason and the regular season, but seemed to lose something when the playoffs rolled around. A CNN analyst even poked fun at him in a tweet about it recently, but Romo didn't let it get to him. While Romo's reputation isn't always perfect, there's no denying he was a major player for the Cowboys franchise.

Romo's football career may have ended on the field, but his love of the game and his desire to keep it a part of his life led him to CBS Sports and a broadcasting career. After officially retiring from the NFL, Romo went on to become a lead sports commentator for the network. Fans went from watching him throw the pigskin on Thursday Night Football to hearing him analyze the game. There were some doubts about Romo's ability to do the job, considering he was given a lead position with little to no experience, but he had more than enough natural talent to get the job done. Romo's already being praised for his work; most notably for his honesty during the game and willingness to comment on the officials making calls in one team's favor. Romo has received critical acclaim for the 2017 season, for bringing enthusiasm back to the commentary, which had been sorely missed. Romo will certainly be seeing a boost in his net worth for the upcoming year.

Romo's on-air presence has earned him rave reviews and he handles any criticism with ease, even those in the form of tweets from CNN analysts. Romo's proven to be an asset for the Thursday Night Football team, becoming a hit with everyone from the most dedicated football fans to the casual viewers. Romo has more fans than ever now that he's no longer competing. If Romo continues to announce and commentate the way he has been, he's destined to have a long career with CBS. There's no doubting Romo's talents and his ability to charm even the toughest of critics. Former haters of the Cowboys quarterback have given Romo the respect he deserves, because his knowledge of the game and unbiased opinion makes for the perfect play-by-play commentary. Sit tight football fans, Tony Romo isn't going anywhere.