Former Dallas Cowboys Quarterback Tony Romo has been selected for the College Football Hall of Fame, joining the class of 2021. Before reaching fame as the QB of America’s Team and his work as a commentator for CBS, Romo had a decorated college career from 2000-2002 with the Eastern Illinois Panthers.
Playing at EIU in Division 1-AA football contributed to Romo going undrafted by the NFL in 2003. But he did enough with the Panthers to be on Sean Payton’s radar when he worked as the Cowboys’ QB Coach, leading to Tony joining Dallas and becoming one of the greatest passers in franchise history.
In three collegiate seasons as the Panthers’ starting QB, Romo received three All-American honors, three All-Ohio Valley Conference honors, and was named his conference’s Player of the Year all three seasons.
In 2002, Romo received the Walter Payton Award as the most outstanding offensive players in all of Division 1-AA football that season.
Romo finished his college career with 7,816 passing yards, 82 touchdowns, and a 159.1 passer rating.
In 2009, Romo’s #17 jersey was retired by Eastern Illinois as he was inducted into the university’s Hall of Fame. He was the first EIU player to have jersey retired.
The full list of 2021 inductees for the College Football Hall of Fame will be released sometime today with some notable names like Champ Bailey, Carson Palmer, and Tony Gonzalez among the possibilities.
One name we know for sure will be on that list is Tony Romo. Inside The Star joins all of Cowboys Nation is congratulating “9” on this well-deserved honor.
