Player Info: QB Tony Romo Bios
Sunday, October 07, 2007 at 06:22:08 pm

PICTURES

Tony Romo #9
Quarterback
6'2' 219 4/21/80
Eastern Illinois
FA'03
NFL: 4th Year Cowboys: 4th Year

PRO: Romo went from the bench to the Pro Bowl in a 10-game stretch in 2006, his third year in the NFL. Signed by the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2003, he made his first career start Oct. 29, 2006, and became Dallas' first Pro Bowl quarterback since Troy Aikman in 1996. Romo rose to prominence during a stretch in which six of the Cowboys' first 11 games were nationally televised. In his first 10 regular-season starts, he led the Cowboys to six victories and a playoff berth. He also led the NFL with 8.6 yards per pass attempt. His 95.1 quarterback rating last season was the third-best in Cowboys history. He distinguished himself with his accuracy, pocket presence, and ability to elude the rush and make plays on the move. He also displayed a strong ability to see the entire field and make proper reads under pressure. After joining the Cowboys in 2003, Romo showed enough potential during training camp to become the third quarterback. He split with Drew Henson as the backup quarterback in 2004 but became the backup quarterback behind Drew Bledsoe in 2005. He also was the holder for field goals and extra points.

2006: After completing 69.6 percent of his passes in four preseason games, Romo's storybook regular season in 2006 had a familiar beginning on the bench as the backup quarterback to Drew Bledsoe. His role changed at halftime of the sixth game, a Monday night loss to the Giants (10/23) at Texas Stadium. Romo replaced Bledsoe as the starter in the third quarter, beginning a whirlwind journey that ended with a Pro Bowl selection Dec. 19. Romo became the sixth Cowboys quarterback to make the Pro Bowl, and the first since Troy Aikman in 1996. His 95.1 quarterback rating was the third-highest in club history, behind Roger Staubach's 104.8 in 1971 and Aikman's 99.0 in 1993. It also ranked fifth in the NFL and third in the NFC. Peyton Manning led the NFL at 101.0. In his 10 regular-season starts, Romo completed 204 of 310 passing attempts (65.8 percent) for 2,641 yards and 16 touchdowns with 10 interceptions for a 96.2 rating. The Cowboys went 6-4 in the regular season when Romo started. He became the first Dallas starting quarterback to throw for more than 220 yards in his first eight career starts, a streak that was snapped in the loss to Philadelphia (12/25). Romo closed the year ranked first in the NFL with 8.6 yards per passing attempt. He finished second in the NFL with a 65.28 percent completion rate and a 5.6 percent touchdown pass rate. His completion percentage was the third-best in club history, behind Troy Aikman's 69.13 percent in 1993 and Aikman's 65.29 percent in 1991. Romo also threw for more than 250 yards in three consecutive games in 2006, becoming the first Cowboys quarterback to accomplish that feat since Aikman did it in the first four games of the 1993 season.

Behind Romo's emergence, the Cowboys had one of the most productive and efficient offensive seasons in club history. They scored 425 points (26.6 points per game), the fourth-most in the NFL, the most by the Cowboys since 1995, and the fourth-most by the Cowboys since the NFL went to a 16 game schedule in 1978. Dallas was second in the NFL in 2006 with a 48.8 percent third-down efficiency, the club's highest rating since 1980. Dallas also averaged 360.8 total yards per game, the fifth-most in the NFL in 2006 and the most by the Cowboys since 1995. The Cowboys also produced two 1,000-yard receivers (Terrell Owens and Terry Glenn) and a 1,000-yard rusher (Julius Jones) in the same season for just the second time in team history. Before his first start in 2006, Romo saw significant action in the fourth quarter of the win against Houston (10/15). He completed his first career pass attempt to Sam Hurd for a 33-yard gain. His second pass resulted in a two-yard touchdown by Terrell Owens. Romo replaced Drew Bledsoe to start the second half in the Monday night loss to the Giants (10/23) and completed 14 of 25 passes for 227 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions. His second passing touchdown was a 53-yard pass to Patrick Crayton, the Cowboys' second-longest completion of the season. Although Dallas lost, Romo sparked the team by guiding it to touchdown drives of 75 and 74 yards. He also ran once for nine yards. In the nationally televised Sunday night win at Carolina (10/29), Romo made his first start and led the team to a 35-14 victory. He went 24-of-36 passing for 270 yards, one touchdown, and an interception. Romo's lone touchdown pass of the game was a three-yarder to tight end Jason Witten in the second quarter, which cut the Panthers' lead to 14-7. He was sacked twice and had an 86.6 quarterback rating. Romo became the 13th quarterback in Dallas history to earn a victory in his starting debut. His 270 passing yards were the second-most by a Cowboys quarterback who won his first start. In his second career start, at Washington (11/5), Romo went 24-of-36 passing for 284 yards with no interceptions. Romo threw for two touchdowns for the third week in a row, hitting Terry Glenn with a 10-yarder in the first half and Terrell Owens with a four-yarder in the third quarter. In the 27-10 win at Arizona (11/12), Romo was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week after posting a 126.8 quarterback rating. He completed 20 of 29 passes for 308 yards and two touchdowns a 30-yarder to Patrick Crayton and a 51-yarder to Terrell Owens. It was the first 300-yard game of Romo's career. He extended his streak of consecutive passes without an interception to 94 attempts and also threw a touchdown for the fourth consecutive game. In the second half, he was 10-of-10 passing for 144 yards and a touchdown. In the 21-14 win over previously undefeated Indianapolis (11/19), Romo threw for 226 yards and completed 19 of 23 passes, an 82.6 percent completion rate, the third-best in club history. A first-quarter interception snapped his streak of consecutive passing attempts without an interception at 98. In the second half, Romo threw for 130 yards and completed 10 of 11 passes, including his last nine. He was 6-of-6 passing for 102 yards in the fourth quarter.

In the Thanksgiving Day win over Tampa Bay (11/23), Romo completed 22 of 29 passes for 306 yards and a club record-tying five touchdowns. He posted a quarterback rating of 148.9 and was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week for the second time in three games. Romo became the first Dallas quarterback to throw five touchdown passes since Aikman did it at Washington on Sept. 12, 1999. It also marked the ninth time that a Dallas quarterback threw five touchdown passes in a game. From the second quarter to the fourth, Romo completed 13 consecutive passes, tying the second-longest streak in club history. The record of 14 consecutive passes is shared by Steve Pelluer, who did it against Seattle on Nov. 27, 1986; and Randall Cunningham, who completed his last pass against Philadelphia on Sept. 3, 2000, and then completed his first 13 passes at Arizona on Sept. 10, 2000. In November, Romo's first full month as an NFL starter, he helped Dallas go 3-1 and was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Month. He completed 85 of 117 passes (72.6 percent) for 1,124 yards, nine touchdowns, and one interception and had a quarterback rating of 124.7 in November. In the last-minute win at the Giants (12/3), Romo completed 20 of 34 passes for 257 yards with two interceptions. With 1:06 left in the game and the score tied, 20-20, Romo directed a six-play drive highlighted by a 42-yard completion to Jason Witten. That set Dallas up for the game-winning, 46-yard field goal by Martin Gramatica with six seconds remaining. Romo led Dallas on three scoring drives in the second half, and each of them came after the Giants scored to tie the game. In the Sunday night game against the Saints (12/10), Romo lost his first home game as a Cowboys starter. He completed 16 of 33 passes for 249 yards and one touchdown with two interceptions. In the playoff-clinching win at Atlanta (12/16), Romo completed 22 of 29 passes (75.9 percent) for 278 yards and two touchdowns - a seven-yarder and 51-yarder to Terrell Owens. He was sacked three times and threw one interception and posted a quarterback rating of 113.9. He guided Dallas on four touchdown drives, including an 11-play, 80-yard drive in the final eight minutes, when Romo was 5-of-5 passing for 45 yards. In the Christmas Day loss to the Eagles (12/25), Romo completed 14 of 29 passes for 142 yards and one touchdown with two interceptions. In the season-ending loss to Detroit (12/31), Romo completed 23 of 32 passes (71.9 percent) for a career-high 321 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception for a quarterback rating of 111.6. He threw a six-yard touchdown pass to Patrick Crayton and a 56-yard touchdown pass to Terrell Owens, which was the longest completion of Romo's career and the longest reception of the season for Owens. In one stretch of the second half, Romo completed 11 consecutive passes.

In the playoff loss at Seattle (1/6/07), Romo completed 17 of 29 passes (58.6 percent) for 189 yards and one touchdown for an 89.6 quarterback rating. His first career postseason touchdown pass was a 13-yarder that gave Dallas a 10-6 lead with 11 seconds left in the first half. He guided Dallas on an eight-play, 70-yard drive in the game's final minutes to set up a potential game-winning field goal. He bobbled the snap, however, and was tackled just short of the end zone.

2005: Romo beat out Drew Henson in training camp to be the backup quarterback. In the preseason, he completed 23 of 37 passes for 273 yards and one touchdown. He played in 16 regular-season games, serving as the team's holder. Against Philadelphia (10/16), he took a knee on the final drive of the game to run out the clock.

2004: In his second season, Romo battled in training camp to become the club's backup quarterback. After completing 24 of 39 passes for 250 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions in the preseason, he started the season as the backup quarterback and held the role for the first six games. In the season opener at Minnesota (9/12), he took over as the holder for PATs and field-goal attempts in the second quarter after a fumbled snap on the second field-goal attempt of the game. He became the club's full-time holder the following week against Cleveland (9/19). For seven games, beginning with the game against Detroit (10/31), he was the team's third quarterback. He returned to the backup role at Philadelphia (12/19) and against Washington (12/26) but did not play with the offense. He closed the season at the Giants (1/2/05) as the third quarterback.

2003: After signing with the Cowboys as a rookie free agent May 1, Romo spent the entire season as the club's third quarterback. In the preseason, he completed nine of 17 passes for 134 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. He was one of four rookie free agents to make the full-time roster following training camp.

COLLEGE: Romo became the first player in Eastern Illinois and Ohio Valley Conference history to win the Walter Payton Award, given annually to the nation's top player in Division I-AA. He finished his career as the school's and conference's all-time leader with 85 touchdown passes. He was second in school history and third in conference history with 8,212 passing yards. He was also second in school history with 584 completions and 941 attempts. As a senior, he set school and conference records with 258 completions (in 407 attempts). He threw for 3,615 yards, the second-most in a season in conference history and third-most in school history, and 34 touchdowns. As a junior, he led Division I-AA in passing efficiency, completing 138 of 207 passes for 2,068 yards and 21 touchdowns. He earned All-America and All-Ohio Valley Conference honors and was named the OVC Player of the Year. As a sophomore, Romo ranked second in Division I-AA in passing efficiency, completing 164 of 278 passes for 2,583 yards and 27 touchdowns. He was named All-America honorable mention, All-Ohio Valley Conference, and the OVC Player of the Year.

PERSONAL: A communications major at Eastern Illinois, Romo lettered three times in football for Burlington, Wisc., High School. An avid golfer, Romo attempted to qualify for the 2004 and 2007 Byron Nelson tournament and the 2004, 2005, and 2007 U.S. Open but fell short. As a member of the Cowboys' 2003 Rookie Club, a program designed to introduce rookies to community service in the Dallas area, he visited several non-profit organizations serving children and adults. He worked with the ChildCareGroup, The Salvation Army, Children's Medical Center Dallas, and Kid's Cafe at The Voice of Hope Ministries. He attended a special movie screening of "Radio,' hosted by the Cowboys for 400 youths from area non-profit agencies. He also volunteered to play Bingo with over 100 senior citizens at The Brady Center as part of the Cowboys' annual United Way Hometown Huddle event. During the 2006 off-season, Romo participated in the FUTURES Golf Classic along with members of the local media, other Dallas-area professional athletes, and FUTURES tour players. The event benefited Boys and Girls Club of Collin County, HomeAid, City House, and Hope's Door.