Tony Romo family tree: Meet wife Candice, three sons, actor brother-in-law Chace Crawford and more

Daniel Chavkin

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Tony Romo family tree: Meet wife Candice, three sons, actor brother-in-law Chace Crawford and more image

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Tony Romo has been in the public eye for two decades now as both the Cowboys' starting quarterback and CBS's top football analyst.

Dallas is considered the biggest brand in the sport, so playing the most important position for the Cowboys tends to come with public scrutiny. That only continued after Romo retired, when he chose to enter television instead of a quieter post-NFL life.

Romo's family also finds itself in the spotlight often, especially considering he married into a family with a few celebrities of its own. Here's what you need to know about the Romos.

Tony Romo wife: Candice Crawford Romo

Candice Crawford was born and raised in Texas to huge Cowboys fans, so it was fitting that she would one day marry the Cowboys starting quarterback. As a teenager, she competed in the Miss Texas Teen pageants before attending college.

Crawford attended the University of Missouri to study journalism, but that's also where she won the Miss Missouri USA pageant in 2008. However, she always wanted to work in the sports media industry.

"I remember watching football one night and thinking, 'I want that job,'" Crawford said. "I knew that at some point in life I wouldn’t be able to play sports anymore, so I wanted to be able to talk about them."

During an after college, Crawford worked for several Dallas-based TV stations, including KTVT and CW33. It was while working for CW33 where she met Romo in the first place.

"This was my first job out of college!" she told CW33 in 2018. "And if it was not for this station, I would not have met Tony."

Romo and Crawford got married in 2011 and have three kids together.

"I knew I’d be a mom at some point," Crawford said. I was really career-driven and thought I’d be an older mom, but the Lord had a different plan. I got married a lot younger than I expected and Hawk was a huge surprise, but I don’t regret it for one moment."

Besides taking care of her three sons, Crawford runs Hawk + Sloane, a baby spray business line.

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Tony Romo sons

Hawkins Romo

Romo and Crawford had the first child, Hawkins, in April of 2012.

"If it's possible to bring you and your wife closer together, something like this really does," Tony said, via PEOPLE. "It's been a great blessing from God to put us in this situation. We feel very honored."

Rivers Romo

Rivers is Romo's middle child, and he was born two years after his older brother in March of 2018. Candice once described him as a smaller version of Tony.

"Rivers, our 2-year-old, out of the womb wanted a ball, wants to play football and basketball," Candice said in 2016. "He's like a miniature Tony."

Jones Romo

In August of 2017, the Romos had their youngest son, Jones.

"It’s super exciting," Romo said after his youngest was born. "My third boy, you know, so building my own basketball team here — getting close."

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Tony Romo dad: Ramiro Romo Jr.

Romo's father, Ramiro Romo Jr., served in the Navy in San Diego when Tony was born. After Ramiro's Navy service was up, the Romos moved to Burlington, Wis., where Ramiro became a carpenter and worked in the construction industry.

"I used to tell him, No. 1, to always maintain who you are — where you came from, who you are, your beliefs and your faith in God," Ramiro said. "And I told him, 'Don't change. Continue to be the same person you are. And whatever endeavor that you take part in in your life, give it your all."

Tony has really taken up golf in his adult years, and it has allowed him to bond with his father more.

"Our bonding thing was always to play golf," Ramiro said. "I tell parents all the time, whether or not you play golf, go figure out a way to play with your kids when they're young. You'll be shocked at the time you will be able to spend with your kids."

Now that Tony is a father of three, he has a different way to relate to his dad.

"I have a special relationship with my dad," Romo explained in 2016, before his youngest was born.. "I recognize the feeling that he might have had over the years, with a son, now that I have two. I can see now as you get older, you just — one of the things you really want is time, time with your kid, time with your boys."

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Tony Romo mom: Joan Jakubowski Romo

Romo's mother, Joan Jakubowski, was a cashier at the grocery story Sentry when the family moved from San Diego to Wisconsin.

"It's great to have that support and that they're there to care for you," Tony said about his parents, via ESPN. "I'm lucky enough to have two parents that were there when I was growing up. Not everybody has that. I'm blessed to have two parents like I do."

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Tony Romo grandpa: Ramiro Romo Sr.

Romo's paternal grandparents played a huge role in his life. His grandfather, Ramiro Sr., was born in Múzquiz, Coahuila, Mexico, but immigrated to the United States at 16.

"I came to this country with very little," Ramiro Sr., said. "But I worked hard and was able to provide for my family. This is still the country of opportunity, and Tony's career is proof of that." 

Ramiro Sr. met his future wife, Felicita, in Racine, Wis., and the two married when he was just 22. Together, they owned multiple bars and restaurants in both Wisconsin and Texas, and they were active members in the Catholic Church.

When he wasn't working, Ramiro helped Hispanics gain American citizenship by navigating the Judicial system, and he provided a foster home with his wife for over 20 years. While Tony grew up far away from Mexico, spending most of his childhood in Wisconsin, his grandparents made sure Romo knew where he came from.

"Tony was brought up to never be embarrassed by what he is," he added. "He knows he's Antonio Ramiro Romo. He has many Hispanic fans who are proud of him and support him — not only in the United States, but in Mexico and even Colombia."

Ramiro Sr. passed away in 2020 at 87.

Tony Romo grandma: Felicita Romo

Felicita Romo was born in Robstown, Texas and spent most of her life either in Texas or Wisconsin with her husband. Along with Romiro Sr., Felicita worked her way up from migrant worker to owner of multiple bars and restaurants in both Texas and Wisconsin. She also fostered children and co-hosted a bilingual Catholic radio program in Racine for 12 years with her husband.

"They grew up with the vision of turning around the history of the family," Tony said. "Anyone who comes in contact with my grandparents, they just fall in love with them right away. They're just really genuine and hard-working people who get along with everybody and have touched a lot of lives in their career. They're very special to us..

Felicita died in 2024, just a few months away from her 90th birthday.

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Tony Romo brother-in-law: Chace Crawford

When Romo married his wife, Candice, he became brothers-in-law with famous actor Chace Crawford. Crawford got his big break Nate Archibald in "Gossip Girl," and he most recently has become a star as The Deep on "The Boys."

Crawford was born and raised in Lubbock, Texas, and he tried to play football but gave it up when he realized he wasn't the size of a typical football player. He grew up a big Cowboys fan, so becoming so close with the Cowboys' starting quarterback was an incredible moment.

"It was very surreal to become friends with him," Crawford said on "The Tonight Show." "We were the family that took ridiculous Christmas pictures in front of the fireplace with Cowboys Starter jackets and white turtlenecks, and that's a true story. You know it was the '90s because of the Starter jackets. When he became a part of our family, watching those football games became a lot more nerve wracking."

Crawford added that Romo was always open about talking about football with his family despite it being his job.

"After games, he would always record them. We'd go back to the house and he'd gather everyone around, he had this little pointer, and he would break down these plays," Crawford added. "We knew he would be a good announcer after the fact."

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Where is Tony Romo from?

Romo was born in San Diego but spent most of his childhood in Burlington, Wis. He played high school football at Burlington High School, and he always feels welcome when he returns home.

"I actually find that you can go home again," Romo said, via ESPN. "I know there's that quote or saying that says you can’t, but I've found when I come back home, it's always home. That’s the great thing."

Daniel Chavkin

Daniel Chavkin is a Digital Content Producer for The Sporting News. A 2018 graduate from the University of Maryland, he has previously written for Sports Illustrated, NBC Sports and NFLTradeRumors.com.