Tony Romo

Tony 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's 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 time 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.

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 Café 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 offseason, 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. During the 2006 season, Romo had the opportunity to visit with a "Make-A-Wish" guest of the Cowboys who "wished" to meet the Dallas Cowboys and attend a game at Texas Stadium.

In April 2007, Romo joined teammates, Roy Williams, Terence Newman and DeMarcus Ware to attend a special celebration at Texas Stadium hosted by National Advisory Organizations Conference honorary chairs Gene and Jerry Jones for The Salvation Army delegates attending the international conference. Also in the 2007 offseason, he attended Stars of Texas....Racing Against the Odds fundraiser hosted by local radio personality and newspaper columnist Randy Galloway at Lone Star Park for the American Diabetes Association and served as a special guest at the Dallas All Sports Association's Hall of Fame Luncheon where he participated in a Q&A with Mike Doocy, Sports Anchor of KDFW-TV the Fox Affiliate in Dallas.

In 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 second in school history with 584 completions and 941 attempts.

As a senior, he set school and conference records with 258 completions (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-OVC, and the OVC Player of the Year.