Tony Romo

Romo has been married to Candice Crawford Romo since May 28, 2011. Crawford is a former Miss Missouri USA and television journalist, and is the sister of actor Chace Crawford.

The couple have three sons, Hawkins Crawford Romo, Rivers Romo, and Jones McCoy Romo. Romo has also been involved in charitable activities connected with organizations including the Make-A-Wish Foundation and United Way.

Romo was born in San Diego while his father, Ramiro Romo Jr., was stationed at a U.S. Navy base. His family later moved to Burlington, Wisconsin, where he played baseball, basketball, golf, tennis, and football. He became Burlington High School's starting quarterback as a junior and finished his basketball career with the school's varsity scoring record.

At Eastern Illinois University, Romo became a starting quarterback in his sophomore season and established school and Ohio Valley Conference records with 8,212 passing yards and 85 touchdown passes. He was named Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year three times from 2000 through 2002 and won the Walter Payton Award in 2002, becoming the first Eastern Illinois or Ohio Valley Conference player to receive the honor.

Eastern Illinois retired Romo's No. 17 jersey in 2009, the first jersey retirement in the program's history. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a member of its 2021 class.

The Dallas Cowboys signed Romo as an undrafted free agent in 2003. He spent his first three seasons primarily as a backup and holder before replacing Drew Bledsoe as the Cowboys' starting quarterback during the 2006 season. In his first start, he led Dallas to a 35-14 victory over the Carolina Panthers and later helped the team reach the playoffs.

Romo guided the Cowboys to four postseason appearances while serving as the team's primary starter from 2006 through 2015. He earned Pro Bowl selections in 2006, 2007, 2009, and 2014. In 2009, he passed for a franchise-record 4,483 yards and led Dallas to its first postseason victory in 13 years.

The 2014 season was one of Romo's strongest. He led the NFL in passer rating and completion percentage, threw 34 touchdown passes against nine interceptions, helped Dallas win the NFC East, and received second-team All-Pro honors. He also led a fourth-quarter comeback against the Detroit Lions in the wild-card round.

Romo's career was affected by injuries, including a fractured clavicle in 2010, repeated collarbone injuries in 2015, and a back injury in 2016. After rookie Dak Prescott established himself as Dallas's starter, Romo moved into a backup role and retired from the NFL on April 4, 2017. He finished his playing career with 34,183 passing yards, 248 touchdown passes, and a 97.1 passer rating, while holding Cowboys records for career passing yards and passing touchdowns.

After retiring from football, Romo joined CBS Sports as the lead color analyst for NFL broadcasts, working alongside play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz. His immediate appeal came from explaining offensive and defensive formations and predicting plays before the snap.

Romo and Nantz received particular attention for their coverage of the 2018 AFC Championship Game between the Kansas City Chiefs and New England Patriots. Romo later called Super Bowl LIII, Super Bowl LV, and Super Bowl LVIII as part of CBS's NFL broadcast team. His early broadcasting work earned praise from commentators including Bob Costas and Dick Vitale, and The New Yorker described him as a standout football commentator.

Romo has received acting and producing credits outside football. He played himself in the film Trainwreck and appeared in Fantasy Football. He also served as an executive producer on Undrafted and received producer and writer credits for episodes of The NFL on CBS.

Romo has maintained a strong interest in golf and attempted to qualify for the EDS Byron Nelson Championship and the U.S. Open. He received a sponsor's exemption for a PGA Tour event in 2018 and won the American Century Championship celebrity tournament that year. He has also hosted an annual youth football camp in Burlington, Wisconsin, since 2004.