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BURLINGTON — On the afternoon of Sept. 18, members of the Burlington High School football team met for their usual Sunday meeting, but there was a pleasant twist that afternoon.
Instead of watching film in the school’s library, players were directed to go outside by coach Eric Sulik so they could see the finishing touches being put on their new artificial turf field.
After that meeting, senior linebacker Austin Skrundz walked back out the field to take it all in on his own terms. Tony Romo Field at Don Dalton Stadium — that’s the official name — was that impressive to him.
“I wanted to see what it was like to be out there alone and do my own little mental imagery and figure it out on my own,” Skrundz said on Sept. 19 as the last work was being completed on the surface. “I put myself in position as if I was playing. Obviously, you can’t really run around out there because it’s not all finished and there’s no pellets in (the turf), but once you’re on there, you get enough of a feel that this is real, this is happening.
“We waited so long, we heard all the talk and it finally came to life and it’s just exciting.”
The field actually opened last Friday, when a packed house watched Burlington lose 42-21 to Southern Lakes Conference power Lake Geneva Badger.
But now comes the good stuff.
The formal dedication of the field will take place Friday night, when Burlington hosts Beloit Memorial in an SLC showdown. And the man who the field was named in honor of — Romo — will be on hand for the ceremony.
Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, at center smiling in this file photo from his final season in the NFL, will be in Burlington Friday night for the dedication of the school's new artificial turf field that has been named in his owner. Romo graduated from Burlington in 1998.
Romo, a 1998 Burlington High School graduate, was the Dallas Cowboys’ starting quarterback from 2006-14 and retired as one of the highest-rated passers in NFL history, and one of the most-accomplished undrafted NFL players ever. He has since become the lead color analyst for CBS Sports and will be working Sunday’s game between the Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots at Lambeau Field.
The name Tony Romo Field is displayed in the new artificial turf at Burlington's stadium. Romo, a 1998 Burlington graduate, was starting quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys from 2006-14 and is now lead color analyst for CBS Sports.
Because that assignment brings Romo back to Wisconsin, he will be able to be on hand Friday.
“it’s a huge honor,” Romo said in a telephone interview late Thursday afternoon while he was at an airport for the trip back with his wife and three sons. “It’s just humbling and I feel real lucky that Burlington and Burlington High School and the people there think enough of me to do that.
“When you’re a kid growing up and trying to be good enough to start on your varsity team, that’s such a big deal. To think about where that started and where that’s gone to, it’s just an incredible honor that I feel real humbled by.”
Ironically, Romo’s playing days for Burlington came a few years before the new high school building opened in 2000. But while he never played at the facility that will have the new turf field dedicated Friday night, it seems only appropriate that the Burlington Area School District decided in February 2020 that the most famous athlete in the school’s history should be given this honor.
Tony Romo, shown here at left as a teenager at Burlington High School, and coach George Machado of Racine Horlick High School received top honors on the 1997 All-Racine County football team.
As the school pointed out in a press release, the district wanted to “recognize Romo’s continued connection to the Burlington community as he has found national success as an NFL athlete and CBS Sports broadcaster. Romo contributed to the field as a way of supporting the Burlington community which has been supportive of him and his family.”
Said Burlington athletic director Eric Plitzuweit: “Tony has had a unique way of making a positive impact for Burlington and beyond. Whether it was through his on-field performance, his professional achievements beyond the field, or his ability to give back to the youth in our community, we are honored to have Tony Romo call Burlington his hometown.”
And now the players who weren’t born when Romo played at Burlington are trying to comprehend it all.
“The fact that we get to play on the field — Tony Romo Field — is just crazy to me,” senior lineman Reese Schuls said. “I can’t believe we had an NFL star at our high school who now wants to give back to our community and help us out.”
Dinty Moore Field on 225 Robert Street, where Romo first started to make a name for himself during the 1996 and ‘97 seasons at the old high school, had the charm of being situated in a quaint Burlington neighborhood. But because a corner of the field extended onto a portion of the surrounding track, it was not eligible to be used for playoff games.
There will be no such issues on the new field. It would have been interesting to see the offense Romo might have generated throwing to such receivers as Steve Tenhagen, now Burlington’s offensive coordinator, on its fast track.
“Kind of our motto is to play fast and physical and fast leads it all,” Burlington coach Eric Sulik said. “”We don’t always have control over the size of the players we have, but we always want to play fast, whether it’s offense, defense or special teams.
“Having that surface will allow us, I think, to play at a speed that we want to play at. And not having to worry about grass and the cutting of it and the length of it and things like that — it’s always going to be as a consistent height — think is going to be a huge advantage for us.”
Romo, who remains close friends with Tenhagen, could only speculate what it would have been like to play on artificial turf in high school.
“We joke all the time,” Romo said. “If we had turf like this, I’m sure we would have won an extra game or two. The truth is, it just allows the kids to know their part when they’re running on something that is at a real level from a college level or the NFL.
“They’re running on a field that is very similar to an NFL team or to an Alabama or other high-level college team. You want them to have that feeling.”
Beyond how functional it is, though, that the field is something to see. And that brings us back to Skrundz.
“It feels surreal almost,” he said. “You go out there and it looks like you’re in a video game. The colors all line up and it’s awesome. It just makes you happy.”
Added senior safety Isaac Dow: “We went down on the field and looked at it, but when we went up in the bleachers, that’s when we could really see it. The ‘B’ and everything really stood out. I can’t wait. It’s going to be a really good experience.”
This artificial surface continues a trend in Racine County. An artificial surface was installed at Horlick Field in 2020-21 and the state-of-the-art Pritchard Park opened last year.
And now it’s Burlington’s turn to become part of the football field fad.
“I’m so excited for this to happen,” said Steve Berezowitz, who was Romo’s basketball coach at Burlington and still works at the school. “Eric Plitzuweit and the athletic department went to the school board quite a long time ago to get this done.
“What Tony meant to the city and I think what he means to many generations forward is a great story. It gives a lot of kids hope and gives kids the idea that a lot of things are possible. I think that’s what Tony meant to our town.”
“Personally, I just want to thank BHS athletics, Steve Berezowitz, Steve Tenhagen, ‘Plitz,’ Eric Burling (the recently retired Burlington principal) … these guys are the guys who actually made this happen and it’s truly special for me and my family.
“This doesn’t happen without those people. I’m just thankful there’s people like that at BHS.”
Burlington's Tony Romo looks to pass during a game against Racine Case on Sept. 26, 1997 at Pershing Park, Racine. Romo was 26 for 50, with a career-high 392 yards when Burlington lost to Case, 51-34. Romo threw four touchdown passes and four interceptions.
Tony Romo, shown here at left as a teenager at Burlington High School, and coach George Machado of Racine Horlick High School received top honors on the 1997 All-Racine County football team.
Burlington's Tony Romo, right, is guarded by Racine Case's Robby Collum during the first half of their game on Jan. 6, 1998 at Case.
Tony Romo and former NBA champion Caron Butler were members of the 1998 All-Racine County boys basketball team. From left: Romo, of Burlington High School; Shane Krause of Racine Horlick; Coach of the Year Jeff Christensen of Racine Lutheran; Butler of Racine Park, Player of the Year; Dominic DaPra of Racine St. Catherine's; Taron Barker of Racine Case.
Eastern Illinois quarterback Tony Romo, center, throws from the pocket against Hawaii during the first quarter at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2002. At right is Eastern Illinois's Scott Sholl (64).
Tony Romo, the 2002 Walter Payton Award winner from Burlington, photographed Dec. 23, 2002.
Tony Romo, the 2002 Walter Payton Award winner as quarterback for Eastern Illinois University, photographed Dec. 23, 2002.
Victorious in his first NFL start: Dallas Cowboys' Tony Romo (9) smiles as he walks off the field after the Cowboys' 35-14 win over the Carolina Panthers in an NFL game in Charlotte, N.C., on Oct. 29, 2006.
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo (9) and receiver Terry Glenn (83) celebrate after Glenn's touchdown reception, as teammate Terrell Owens looks on in the second quarter of a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Irving, Texas, on Thursday, Nov. 23, 2006. The Cowboys won 38-10 with Glenn catching two of Romo's five touchdown passes.
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, left, welcomes Grammy winner Kelly Clarkson as the Thanksgiving Day halftime performer and honorary Salvation Army Red Kettle Chair for 2007 at the Cowboys' training facility in Irving, Texas, on Oct. 4, 2007.
Green Bay Packers' Nick Barnett sacks Dallas Cowboys' Tony Romo for a 10-yard loss in the second quarter. The Green Bay Packers hosted the Dallas Cowboys at Lambeau Field on Sunday, November 15, 2009.
Dallas Cowboys quarterbacks Dak Prescott, left, and Tony Romo talk on the sideline during the Cowboys’ game against the Baltimore Ravens on Nov. 20, 2016 in Arlington, Texas.
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo lies on the turf after he went down on a play against the Seattle Seahawks during the first half of a preseason game on Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016, in Seattle.
Dallas Cowboys' Tony Romo in action during the first half of an NFL game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017, in Philadelphia.
Dallas Cowboys' Tony Romo after an NFL divisional playoff football game against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, Jan. 15, 2017, in Arlington, Texas. The Packers won 34-31 in what turned out to be Romo's last NFL game.
In this Nov. 5, 2017, file photo, CBS football analyst Tony Romo walks across the field during warm ups before an NFL football game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Dallas Cowboys in Arlington, Texas.
Tony Romo and Jim Nantz work in the broadcast booth before a game between the Green Bay Packers and the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 24, 2017, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay.
WATCH: Burlington linebacker Austin Skrundz discusses new Tony Romo Field turf
Workers put the finishing touches on the artificial turf on the north end zone at Tony Romo Field at Don Dalton Stadium the afternoon of Sept. 19 in Burlington. The first game was played on the new turf Sept. 23, but the field will be formally dedicated Friday night when Burlington hosts Beloit Memorial. Romo, a 1998 Burlington graduate who is now lead color analyst for CBS Sports, will be on hand for the ceremony.
"It's just humbling and I feel real lucky that Burlington and Burlington High School and the people there think enough of me to do that."
Tony Romo, on Burlington's field being named after him."
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Workers put the finishing touches on the artificial turf on the north end zone at Tony Romo Field at Don Dalton Stadium the afternoon of Sept. 19 in Burlington. The first game was played on the new turf Sept. 23, but the field will be formally dedicated Friday night when Burlington hosts Beloit Memorial. Romo, a 1998 Burlington graduate who is now lead color analyst for CBS Sports, will be on hand for the ceremony.
The name Tony Romo Field is displayed in the new artificial turf at Burlington's stadium. Romo, a 1998 Burlington graduate, was starting quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys from 2006-14 and is now lead color analyst for CBS Sports.
Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, at center smiling in this file photo from his final season in the NFL, will be in Burlington Friday night for the dedication of the school's new artificial turf field that has been named in his owner. Romo graduated from Burlington in 1998.
Tony Romo, shown here at left as a teenager at Burlington High School, and coach George Machado of Racine Horlick High School received top honors on the 1997 All-Racine County football team.
WATCH: Burlington linebacker Austin Skrundz discusses new Tony Romo Field turf
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