A look at Tony Romo's selfless acts off the football field

DALLAS - Tony Romo's heart and passion extend well beyond football.

The Dallas Cowboys quarterback has shown he is selfless and genuinely cares about people. But most of his countless good deeds have gone widely unrecognized except to the people who have witnessed them first hand.         

Despite his very visible presence, Romo keeps a pretty low profile when it comes to his acts of kindness. But while he may be reluctant to talk about his accomplishments, others are eager to speak up on his behalf.

Senior Pastor Tony Evans with the Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship Church knows Romo both as the Dallas Cowboys superstar and as a humble philanthropist.

“He's one of the most quality guys I've ever met,” the pastor said. “And he's being used by God for good.”

Evans first met Romo while serving as the football team's chaplain. But the onetime starting quarterback grew his relationship with the Dallas pastor off the field and donated $1 million to Evans’ Urban Initiative.

Romo's donation led to the nationwide expansion of the program, where churches adopt public schools and provide mentoring and other services to children in need.

“We want them to be winners as people, and so this was funded by him,” Evans said.

It was while mentoring students at Cedar Hill High School about drug prevention in 2011 that Romo revealed he and his wife were expecting their first child.

Romo also gave his time to the Children's Cancer Fund, escorting young cancer survivors down the catwalk for the annual luncheon and fashion show.

“It's people like Tony Romo who show up that night and walk those kids down the runway that night the kids are the stars,” said Jennifer Arthur, the executive director of the Children’s Cancer Fund. “Tony gives his celebrity status over to the kids that night— precious, priceless.”

Romo also used his star power to help raise money for the Boys and Girls Club of America, an organization near and dear to his buddy, pro golfer John Daly.

"He's a competitor and that's what I love about him,” Daly said.

And it's the love for North Texas that has the community rooting for him in the game called life.

“He's a man worth emulating,” Evans said. “Raise your sons to be like him, and raise your daughters to want to marry someone like him.”

Pastor Evans helped marry Romo and his wife. While he would hate to see Romo go, he wants him to do what's best for his career and his family.