Tony Romo, class of 1998, participated in football, basketball, and golf during his career at Burlington High School.
Tony is the first BHS athlete to receive All-State recognition in 3-sports. His fantastic high-school career earned him the Demon Award in 1998 which is given to the most outstanding student-athlete in the class. Tony was a standout football player for the Demons. As a two-year starting quarterback he passed for 3,732 yards and 42 touchdowns. He earned 1st team All-Southeast Conference honors. He was also named to the 1st team All-Area, All-County, and All-Region teams. Tony was named to the All-State Teams from the Associated Press and Wisconsin Football Coaches Association. His outstanding senior year earned him 1997 County Player of the Year honors.
Many considered basketball Tony's best sport and as a 3-year letter winner he averaged 24.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, 3.1 steals, and 4.7 assists per game. His junior year the Demons were Southern Lakes Conference Champions. As a senior he received Southeast Conference North Division and Racine County Player of the Year honors. He was also named to the All-Racine County 1st team, and Associated Press All-State team.
Golf is a sport that Tony continues to play competitively, and he developed some of his skills as a 4-year letter winner for the Demon golf team. He was a 2-time team MVP. He was named twice to All-Racine County 1st team. His senior year he won the Southeast Conference Championships with a 74, and carried that momentum into a WIAA Regional Championship with a score of 72.
After high school Tony decided to attend Eastern Illinois and play football. On December 19, 2002, Romo was 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 at the NCAA Division I-AA level. He finished his career holding school and conference records with 85 touchdown passes. He was second in school 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 for completions with 258 in 407 attempts for 3,418 yards, which ranked him second in conference and third in school history for a season. He threw for 34 touchdowns and scored one rushing touchdown. Romo's 3,149 yards in total offense as a senior is ranked third in school and conference history. Along with the Walter Payton Award, Romo earned consensus All-American honors. He was also selected All-Ohio Valley Conference and was named Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year for the third straight year.
Currently, Tony is the starting quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys of the NFL. He has already earned multiple Pro Bowl honors and in 2007 led the Cowboys to their best regular season record in team history. Along the way Tony set team records for passing touchdowns with 36, completions with 335, and was the first Cowboy quarterback to throw for more than 4,000 yards in a season, ending up with 4,211. Tony is the pride of Burlington, and even with his many off-season commitments he still finds time to get back to Burlington and visit family and friends. He also spends a portion of each summer sponsoring a youth football camp for the BHS Football program.