Eastern head coach Bob Spoo remembers about 10 years ago, when offensive coordinator Roy Wittke brought in a tape of a young quarterback who played for Burlington (Wis.) High School.

He recalls taking a look at the tape and telling Wittke: “I don’t think we can do anything for this young man.”

But Wittke convinced Spoo to give the young quarterback a shot, so Spoo signed him to a partial scholarship, and just like that, a legend was born.

Tony Romo went on to become arguably the greatest quarterback in Eastern football history and is the starting quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys.

He finished his career in 2002 as the school’s all-time leader in touchdown passes (85), second in passing yards (8,212), and second in both completions (584) and attempts (941).

After his final season at Eastern, he won the Walter Payton Award, given annually to the nation’s top player in the Football Championship Subdivision (then Division I-AA).

“Obviously I made a big mistake,” Spoo said. “But I’m glad we took him. He did a great job for us.”

Romo will be honored as part of the weekend Homecoming festivities at Saturday’s football game between Eastern and Tennessee Tech (1:30 p.m. at O’Brien Field). He will have his No. 17 jersey retired between the first and second quarter of the game, becoming just the fifth Panther to have his number retired.

Romo and four other people who have contributed to Eastern athletics will be inducted into the Eastern Athletic Hall of Fame at 10 a.m. Saturday at a sold-out banquet.

When asked if he ever envisioned Romo having the type of success he has had when he was recruiting him out of high school, Wittke was blunt about it.

“No I did not,” the 14th-year offensive coordinator said. “I thought he had a very good chance to start for us and become a good player for us, but the thing about Tony is he is a self-made guy. He took the tools he had athletically and made the most of it through hard work.

Romo has seen his share of trials throughout his NFL career with the Cowboys. After signing as an undrafted free agent in 2003, Romo fought his way to No. 2 on the Cowboys’ quarterback depth chart by the 2005 season. In 2006, his second season as the primary backup, Romo worked his way past starter Drew Bledsoe to become the Cowboys’ starting quarterback, and has held the position ever since.

He made the Pro Bowl that season, despite starting only nine games, and repeated the performance in 2007 after leading the Cowboys to a 13-3 record.

However, Romo has drawn criticism throughout his career for his inability to win in the playoffs. He is 0-2 in his career in the playoffs with losses in the Cowboys’ first game of the 2006 and 2007 playoffs. The Cowboys missed the playoffs last season.

But regardless of his success as a pro, Romo has already exceeded the expectations of many within the Eastern athletic department. He has been the face of Eastern football since his emergence with the Cowboys and until August, was the only current NFL player from Eastern.

“It’s been a great pleasure seeing a guy like Tony work and develop himself the way he has,” Wittke said. “He’s always had a great passion for improving his game and it’s been great seeing it work out.”

Collin Whitchurch can be reached at 581-7944 or cfwhitchurch@eiu.edu.