Burlington High School honors former NFL star Tony Romo

 

BURINGTON, Wis. (CBS 58) -- A hometown star who took his skills to the NFL is back home tonight, on Sept. 30, at Burlington High School.

They are dedicating a field to former Dallas Cowboys quarterback and current CBS NFL analyst Tony Romo.

The newly dedicated "Tony Romo Field" was made at tonight's homecoming game. Special in itself, but even more so, because Tony Romo is here.

At halftime, Romo said hello from the sidelines.

"Incredibly rewarding," said Romo. "I don't take it for granted. Burlington is home, it always will be."

The "Tony Romo Field" is a first for the school. Its synthetic turf, expected to save the district a lot of money. They'll save on the cost of mowing the lawn and painting it. Players are happy to have it.

"It's kind of crazy. I never thought it would happen in my high school for sure," said Burlington High School senior Isaac Dow.

Romo was quite an athlete, even in his teens. He was the first Burlington High School student to be All-State in three sports: football, golf and basketball. His legacy is an inspiration to students today.

"We wanted to celebrate and recognize him for everything he has done for the Burlington community," said Julie Thomas of the Burlington Area School District. "He has hosted a football camp. He comes back regularly to meet with the players and works with the coaches.

"I actually did one of his little kid camps here that he used to run so it was kind of cool," said Dow. You got to play with him a little bit. You got to play catch with him a little bit, but it'll be a lot different now that I'm a lot more grown up."

Kickoff on the new synthetic turf "Romo Field" was at 7:00 p.m. There were packed stands -- and the excitement was big.

Romo will be calling the Packers-Patriots game on CBS 58, Sunday, Oct. 2 at 3:25 p.m