Sports

ROMOPHOBIA – COWBOYS QB GIVING FOES MUCH TO FEAR

The quarterback who has seemingly come from nowhere actually comes from Burlington, Wis., a town of 10,000 people tucked in the southern part of the state between Chicago and Milwaukee.

After becoming the starting quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys, Tony Romo has become a featured player on the national stage. With 10 touchdowns and only two interceptions through his first five starts, fans everywhere are asking: Who the heck is this guy?

He doesn’t have the pedigree of Eli Manning or the big college resume of Matt Leinart. He’s the blue-collar quarterback; someone who barely got a nibble from college programs when he finished high school and then went undrafted by the NFL. Romo spent 3½ years on the Dallas bench preparing for his chance.

For those who have known Romo since his childhood, they have lived the successes of their native son with him.

The sign outside of Waller Elementary School offers their most famous alumnus congratulations. A table at Fred’s Parkview Tavern features the “Tony Romo Table.” ESPN spent two days in town last week, profiling Romo.

The biggest news at Karcher Middle School last week was when an eighth grader there discovered Romo’s name on the inside of his text book, meaning Romo once used the same book.

“That was the talk of the school for the entire day,” said Steve Berezowitz, a guidance counselor at the school and Romo’s high school basketball coach. “It’s pretty nuts.” Romo was a natural athlete at Burlington High School. He played quarterback, point guard and starred at golf.

In hoops, he averaged 24 points and eight rebounds as a senior, and was named the conference player of the year over future UConn and NBA player Caron Butler. His proficiency at golf has led him to attempt to qualify for the Byron Nelson Classic and U.S. Open tournaments in 2004 and 2005.

In Romo’s senior year, Burlington switched to a conference with larger schools. The move contributed to losing seasons in both football and basketball. Romo threw for 42 touchdowns in his final two years, and showed some of the skills Cowboys fans are now seeing.

“His intelligence showed especially after the ball was snapped,” said Steve Gerber, Romo’s football coach at Burlington. “He had the uncanny ability to react on the run and make good choices.” Still, the colleges did not invade Burlington trying to sign Romo.

Eastern Illinois, a I-AA school, landed him without much competition. Eastern Illinois coach Bob Spoo had to be convinced by an assistant that Romo was the guy.

“He saw him play point guard,” Spoo said. “He convinced me that [Romo] had great leadership qualities and just made plays. In any sport, that’s what you’re hoping a guy can get done.”

Near the end of his senior year at Burlington, Colorado State offered Romo a scholarship that had become available. Romo turned it down, though, honoring his commitment to the smaller Eastern Illinois.

Romo did not make waves at college until his sophomore year. He impressed his coaches with his work ethic and desire to improve.

“He’s like a gym rat,” Spoo said. “He would stay afterward and practice throws he wasn’t happy with. He’s not afraid to work.”

He finished his career with 85 touchdowns and won the Walter Payton Award – the I-AA equivalent to the Heisman Trophy – as a senior in 2002.

All 32 NFL teams passed on Romo in the draft. Some scouts liked his accuracy, but many had their doubts.

“A lot of people questioned his arm strength,” said Russell Lande, a former NFL scout who now runs GM Jr. scouting service. “He didn’t show a great arm. He’s not a huge kid. I think he was a little bit thinner when he came out. He played in a passing offense. A lot of teams thought he might be a product of the system.” Sean Payton, then the Cowboys offensive coordinator, also played at Eastern Illinois, and convinced Dallas to sign the 6-foot-2 QB.

Romo sat on the bench as Quincy Carter, Chad Hutchinson, Vinny Testaverde, Drew Henson and Drew Bledsoe all attempted to fill Troy Aikman’s shoes. All of them failed, but Romo studied what each did.

“He was like a sponge,” said Eddie George, who played with Romo in 2004 and is now an analyst on FSN Pro Football Preview.

“When Vinny was there, he soaked up all the knowledge from Vinny. He’s utilizing what Vinny taught him now in his own style.” George also saw Romo reading books constantly on legendary athletes like Michael Jordan and coaches like Bob Knight.

“I think he was figuring out what it to took to be great,” George said. “He wasn’t going to settle on being a backup. He has the mindset of greatness.”

In the preseason, there were rumblings that Cowboys coach Bill Parcells was ready to give Romo a try. Then, at halftime against the Giants on Oct. 23, Parcells put him in. After a rocky half against the Giants, it has been smooth sailing.

Parcells is known for loving competitors and Romo seems to fit the bill.

“He’s like a street player – he really is,” Parcells said last week. “It’s like the park. That’s the kind of kid he is. He enjoys that and he understands competition pretty well, so it’s not as hard to keep a player that understands competition. That’s the way it was with Lawrence [Taylor]. When I had Lawrence there in New York, just show him the competition and he was ready to go for it.”

Romo’s star has risen in the last month. He has been romantically linked to pop star Jessica Simpson – a rumor he denied last week.

Friends say he’s remained grounded, though. He lives with his high-school buddy Nick Sekeres, and still wears his Burlington football shirt under his pads. He has not forgotten his hometown, returning there in the offseason to play basketball with the high-school team or run his football camp. After his fivetouchdown performance against Tampa Bay on Thanksgiving, Romo returned a call to his hometown newspaper to give an interview.

“He’s very humble,” Gerber said. “He comes from a blue-collar, loving family that taught him a lot of things. One of them is humility.”

THE TONY ROMO FILE

* Denied romantic link to Jessica Simpson (left)

* Fans (right) are knows as “Romosexuals”

* Scratch golfer

Height: 6-2

Weight: 225

Age: 26

College: Eastern Illinois

2006 STATS:

125 of 180

1,656 yards

13 TDs, 5 INTs,

110.8 QB rating