Romo a star? Who could have predicted it?
Tony Romo was lightly recruited coming out of Burlington (Wis.) High School and wasn't drafted after a stellar career at Eastern Illinois.
Now he's the high-profile starting quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys. A Pro Bowl selection last season, Romo ranks second in the league in passer rating, trailing only New England's Tom Brady.
Off the field, Romo has dated American Idol winner Carrie Underwood, judged the Miss Universe pageant, filmed national commercials, and thrown out the first pitch at a Cubs-White Sox game in June.
So how is it possible that a future NFL sensation received so little attention early in his football career?
"Probably because I (stunk)," Romo replied. "I really wasn't all that good. I had a little bit of ability, just kind of raw talent in some ways, to move around, see things pretty quickly and react quickly. But I wasn't a great thrower of the football when I was young."
Romo will enjoy a homecoming of sorts Sunday night when the Cowboys face the Bears at Soldier Field. Burlington is only about 10 miles across the Wisconsin border, just west of Kenosha and Racine. That means Romo fans will be heading both south from Burlington and north from Charleston to attend the nationally televised contest.
"I know everyone will be up there, all my buddies from college," Romo said during a teleconference with Chicago reporters. "I don't know if they'll be rooting for the Bears or me, but it will be a fun atmosphere."
Romo should give the Bears defense its toughest challenge this season. In 2 Dallas victories, Romo has thrown for 531 yards, with 6 touchdowns and 1 interception.
In comparison, Bears quarterback Rex Grossman has 305 passing yards in two games, with 1 touchdown and 3 interceptions. Grossman's passer rating ranks 32nd in the league.
Romo's ascension to stardom began less than a year ago. He spent 3½ seasons as a Cowboys backup before getting his first start last season on Oct. 29 at Carolina.
His muffed hold on a potential game-winning field goal contributed to a playoff loss, but Dallas' regular-season record with Romo as the starter is 8-4.
Growing up in Burlington, Romo's first loves were basketball and golf. As a high school freshman, he went out for the soccer team.
"I ended up switching over to football because we really didn't have a freshman (soccer) team," Romo said. "I ended up going out for football, played a little safety. Then sophomore year, I broke a finger so I didn't play at all."
The 6-foot-2 Romo finally became a starting quarterback two games into his junior season. During his varsity debut against Elkhorn, Romo threw for 300 yards, but had 2 interceptions returned for touchdowns.
Playing mostly against larger schools, Burlington went 3-6 in Romo's senior season. Eastern Illinois was about the only college that showed interest.
Roy Wittke, former offensive coordinator at EIU, happened to be a Racine native, and his parents sent some newspaper articles about Romo.
"I went to a basketball game and I'll be honest, that's what really sold me on Tony," Wittke told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "Every time a play needed to be made, Tony seemed to be in the middle of it. You could see he had great vision and great anticipation."
Burlington athletic director Eric Burling insists that anyone who claims they knew Romo was destined to become an NFL star is lying.
"He's always been a competitor," Burling said. "Back then, video games were becoming popular. He was the kid that was still always out in the side yard shooting hoops.
"He was a notorious gym rat. We'd play early morning basketball at the school and he was one of the only students who'd participate. He used to show up at 6 a.m. every morning to play basketball with the teachers."
Following his freshman season at EIU, Romo was asked to consider a move to tight end.
The request pushed him to prove he could succeed at quarterback and Romo, as a senior, received the Walter Payton Award, given to the nation's best Division I-AA player.
"I'm kind of a guy who's a late bloomer," Romo said. "Once I picked it up, I kind of made strides pretty quickly."
Now Burlington High School sells Romo throwback jerseys on its Web site, and more than 30 purchases have been made from the Dallas area. The town where most people root for the Packers believes it has produced another folk-hero quarterback to follow in the footsteps of Brett Favre, who grew up in tiny Kiln, Miss.
"We kind of like to think we're Kiln North in a way, having produced a great quarterback who is also a good person," Burling said. "Romo fever is going again now that the season's here."
Cheering for Romo and the Cowboys shouldn't be a problem this week in Burlington, since the opponent is the Bears.
"Absolutely," said Burling, a Packers season-ticket holder. "That makes it even easier."