"This award is very meaningful to me, mostly because I get to be associated with this and to be associated with Nancy. It's incredible and I really appreciate you, and we're going to win a Super Bowl next year. Thank you."
That's how Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, who recently received the Nancy Lieberman Lifetime Achievement Award at the Dream Ball Gala, ended his acceptance speech. According to the Dallas Morning News, Romo "described how he transformed from a player focused on individual goals to someone who now only cares about team accomplishments" in his speech, highlighting some people who helped him along the way.
"In my first three years, it was about what I was going to accomplish, what I was going to do and how great I was going to become. Somewhere in that process, that shifted, and it became about 'we,'" Romo said, before going to to describe exactly who "we" is to him.
"In the last five years, it's become all the people that I'm with, the Jason Wittens, the Jason Garretts, the Joneses, these people I've been with for a long time," Romo said. "I want to win a championship so bad, but it's just not about me. I literally want to win it so bad for them. For the people around me who have helped me.
"They've allowed me to achieve my dreams and my goals. Without them, I'm not there, I promise you. I'm not where I'm at right now and I'm not going where I'm going.”
Romo began his career as an undrafted free agent out of Eastern Illinois. He signed with the Cowboys over his hometown Green Bay Packers largely due to the influence of then-Cowboys quarterbacks coach Sean Payton. Romo sat behind Quincy Carter, Chad Hutchinson, Vinny Testaverde, Drew Henson and Drew Bledsoe in the early part of his career before becoming Dallas' starter.
After Payton took over as head coach of the New Orleans Saints, he offered the Cowboys a third-round pick for Romo (who had yet to start a game), but Jerry Jones declined the offer. The Saints would then sign Drew Brees. Later that season, Romo wrested the starting job from Bledsoe, and he has since gone on to break nearly every Cowboys team passing record in his nine seasons as the starter, making the Pro Bowl four times along the way. He also holds the (still active) NFL record for most consecutive road games with at least one touchdown pass, at 41.
Last season was likely the best of Romo's career. He led the NFL in completion percentage, yards per attempt and passer rating, and also led Dallas to a win in the opening round of the playoffs before falling to the Packers in a controversial divisional round loss.
The Cowboys are expected to be one of the strongest teams in the NFC along with the Packers and Seahawks next season, and they currently have the sixth-best odds to win Super Bowl 50 in most sports books. Here's his full speech at the event.
