This year, Romo's camp has star power
By Scott Anderson
Journal Times
BURLINGTON — As Tony Romo’s star rises with the Dallas Cowboys, his annual youth football camp at Burlington High School rises with him.
“It’s just neat,” Romo said. “I know when I was this age, it would have been great to talk to the starting high school quarterback, much less a good college or an NFL guy, so I think I know how it made me feel.”
Four years ago, former Burlington High School quarterback Romo came to town as a star college quarterback and fresh face to the NFL. For the last two years, he came as an NFL quarterback waiting for his big break.
This year they get to sweat and hustle under the hot summer sun under the watch of one of the NFL’s most popular players.
“We’re up by over 100 players this year, and a big part of that has to do with Tony’s success and we’re really happy for him,” said Hans Block, Burlington High School head football coach. “He’s still the same Tony, he’s been very successful and put in a different light, but he’s still the same guy, true and true and still Burlington. We’re incredibly proud of him.”
But as much as the young Romo has stayed the same, the more things around him have changed.
Stands for spectators were erected on the sidelines of this year’s camp, ropes separated spectators from the field of play. To get closer access, you needed to be on “the list.”
The scene Friday at Burlington High School had the feel of an NFL training camp in the heat of August, except instead of grown men attempting to ride to stardom, there were adolescents attempting to get rides home from their parents.
Russ Kennedy of Lake Geneva took his girlfriend, two nieces and a family friend to camp Friday just to get a chance to meet Romo.
Romo and Dallas Cowboys teammate Jason Witten were doing an on-camera interview when Kennedy’s party walked toward the camp.
“I said ‘I think that’s him over there behind the van’ and they’re all going ‘no it’s not, no it’s not,’” Kennedy said. “By the time we got to the baseball field we were like, ‘Hey it’s him, him and Witten.’”
Their pace slowed, walking in near-belief that they had just seen the man they had come to admire from afar.
“I’m a huge Cowboy fan since I’ve been born, so this is as close as I’ll probably ever get,” Kennedy said. “Just to shake his hand, maybe get an autograph, that would be a successful trip for me.”
Friday’s camp played out for Romo with only a few autograph-seekers but with several visits from old friends.
There were no hordes of media, no rope-line of autograph-seekers, and the only sign of rumored-girlfriend and country music star Carrie Underwood was a six-foot-high poster of her in the school’s activity office.
Just sun, fun, an open field and lots of football.
“Hans and the guys here at Burlington here are doing a wonderful job,” Romo said. “This definitely wouldn’t happen if they didn’t put forth the effort that they do. All the coaches help out, so I definitely owe them a lot.”
Journal Times
BURLINGTON — As Tony Romo’s star rises with the Dallas Cowboys, his annual youth football camp at Burlington High School rises with him.
“It’s just neat,” Romo said. “I know when I was this age, it would have been great to talk to the starting high school quarterback, much less a good college or an NFL guy, so I think I know how it made me feel.”
Four years ago, former Burlington High School quarterback Romo came to town as a star college quarterback and fresh face to the NFL. For the last two years, he came as an NFL quarterback waiting for his big break.
This year they get to sweat and hustle under the hot summer sun under the watch of one of the NFL’s most popular players.
“We’re up by over 100 players this year, and a big part of that has to do with Tony’s success and we’re really happy for him,” said Hans Block, Burlington High School head football coach. “He’s still the same Tony, he’s been very successful and put in a different light, but he’s still the same guy, true and true and still Burlington. We’re incredibly proud of him.”
But as much as the young Romo has stayed the same, the more things around him have changed.
Stands for spectators were erected on the sidelines of this year’s camp, ropes separated spectators from the field of play. To get closer access, you needed to be on “the list.”
The scene Friday at Burlington High School had the feel of an NFL training camp in the heat of August, except instead of grown men attempting to ride to stardom, there were adolescents attempting to get rides home from their parents.
Russ Kennedy of Lake Geneva took his girlfriend, two nieces and a family friend to camp Friday just to get a chance to meet Romo.
Romo and Dallas Cowboys teammate Jason Witten were doing an on-camera interview when Kennedy’s party walked toward the camp.
“I said ‘I think that’s him over there behind the van’ and they’re all going ‘no it’s not, no it’s not,’” Kennedy said. “By the time we got to the baseball field we were like, ‘Hey it’s him, him and Witten.’”
Their pace slowed, walking in near-belief that they had just seen the man they had come to admire from afar.
“I’m a huge Cowboy fan since I’ve been born, so this is as close as I’ll probably ever get,” Kennedy said. “Just to shake his hand, maybe get an autograph, that would be a successful trip for me.”
Friday’s camp played out for Romo with only a few autograph-seekers but with several visits from old friends.
There were no hordes of media, no rope-line of autograph-seekers, and the only sign of rumored-girlfriend and country music star Carrie Underwood was a six-foot-high poster of her in the school’s activity office.
Just sun, fun, an open field and lots of football.
“Hans and the guys here at Burlington here are doing a wonderful job,” Romo said. “This definitely wouldn’t happen if they didn’t put forth the effort that they do. All the coaches help out, so I definitely owe them a lot.”
posted by The Gryphon at 8:55 AM
<< Home