Tony Romo Named Sports Illustrated Media Person Of The Year
Not even a full year into his first job as a sports broadcaster, former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo was recently named as Sports Illustrated's Media Person of the Year.
Following his retirement last year from the NFL after leading the Dallas Cowboys for nearly 13-years, Romo was immediately hired by CBS Sports to become the lead color analyst for their NFL telecasts, teaming with Jim Nantz in the broadcast booth.
With only 8 months on the job, Romo was named as the 2017 Media Person of the Year by Sports Illustrated.
"His natural enthusiasm and love for football translated for audiences and he has rightly received praise from fans and the NFL establishment." wrote SI columnist Richard Deitsch.
On November 5th, the Cowboys rolled out the red carpet for Romo in his return to AT&T Stadium to call the Cowboys game against Kansas City. A stadium-sized "Welcome Home 9" banner was put on display in the end zone and the team played a special tribute video voiced by tight end Jason Witten prior to kickoff.
"He does a fantastic job. It doesn't surprise me one bit. He knows football inside and out. He's got a great personality. He's a very charming guy," Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said. "He's taken it by storm from what I hear. And it'll be fun to be around him. I haven't seen him much. We've been busy, he's been busy. I've been very fortunate to be around him and he's made my life way better."
Romo's insight and abilities to see plays before they happen have received rave reviews. Cowboys COO Stephen Jones says they're well-deserved. "I think Tony's brought a unique insight into his role. It's almost like when he's sitting int he booth, he's playing the game," said Jones.
"For me this job allows me to hopefully be a decent dad and to do a good job at that—and still be in the game of football," Romo said in his interview with Sports Illustrated. "I think this is the one job that allowed me to do that."
READ MORE: Sports Illustrated Interview with Tony Romo
Shortly after Romo was hired in April, the former Cowboys quarterback was overjoyed when talking about the opportunity with CBS. "I'm very excited. I'm very happy and I'm really lucky," he told The Ben and Skin Show on 105.3 The Fan. "It's a unique situation I get to go into and it's a privilege to be able to talk about the game. Not everyone gets that opportunity … and I don't take that for granted."
Romo's last regular-season snap at home for the Cowboys came on Thanksgiving in 2015 when he broke his collarbone for the second time that season.
The former 10-year starter was released by Dallas the same day he was introduced as play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz's new partner in early April. Romo lost his job to rookie Dak Prescott while out with a back injury last season.
