Bill Romanowski: Talented But Controversial NFL Star From Rockville High

With the NFL season now underway, this week’s column will take a look at a strong Connecticut connection to the NFL – 1984 Rockville High School football standout and controversial NFL star, Bill Romanowski. Beginning in 1988, the year that he graduated from Boston College, “Romo-Cop” began a 16-year NFL career with four different teams. It was a career marked by both achievement and controversy.

The average NFL player’s career is short. The player’s association contends that it is just over three years, while the owners contend that it lasts just over six years. Bill Romanowski was able to last 16 years in the NFL as a linebacker – a remarkable achievement by itself; furthermore, Romo-Cop played in 243 consecutive NFL games, a record for a linebacker. Romanowski’s consecutive game streak is all the more remarkable since he freely admitted in an October 2005 segment of “60 Minutes” that he used anabolic steroids during his career, a habit that often results in frequent player injuries.

While a teammate of Doug Flutie, the 6 ft. 4 inch 245 lb. linebacker was also the Cotton Bowl Classic’s MVP at Boston College in 1985. The BC Varsity Club also gave him the Scanlan Award for outstanding scholarship, leadership, and athletic achievement in 1987.

Taken as the 80th by the San Francisco 49ers in the third round of the 1988 NFL draft, Romanowski spent his first five years in the Bay Area before being traded to the Philadelphia Eagles following the 1993 season. After the 1995 season, Bill Romanowski got traded to the Denver Broncos where he stayed through the 2001 season. His Denver years marked the peak of his career. As a Bronco, Romanowski was named to the Pro Bowl twice, in 1996 and 1998. Furthermore, the Rockville native won two Super Bowl championships in Denver (Super Bowls XXXII and XXXIII).

In fact, Romanowski has appeared in more Super Bowls than any other Connecticut native (5) and also has more Super Bowl championships than any other Nutmegger (4). Following the 2001 season, the Broncos traded him to Oakland, where he finished his 16-year career after the 2003 season. During his long NFL career, Romanowski made over 1,100 tackles, was credited with 39.5 sacks, and had 18 interceptions and 18 fumble recoveries.

Controversy was Romo-Cop’s constant companion during his NFL career. The following is a summary of some of his more controversial NFL incidents: 

1. He kicked Cardinal fullback Larry Centers in the head in 1995 and was fined $4,500.
2. He broke Kerry Collins’ jaw in a 1997 pre-season game against Carolina in a helmet-to-helmet collision. The league fined him $20,000.
3. In December 1997, Romanowski spat in the face of J.J. Stokes of the 49ers.
4. In 1999, he was fined $42,500 for a series of three illegal hits and a punch thrown at perennial All-Pro tight end Tony Gonzalez. Later that year he was also fined for firing a football at the crotch of linebacker Brian Cox, then of the NY Jets.
5. Romanowski’s most vicious hit occurred in 2003 against one of his own teammates, receiver Marcus Williams. He punched Williams so hard that he broke his eye socket and ruined the receiver’s career. Williams’ multi-million dollar lawsuit resulted in an award of $340,000.
6. While in the Bay Area at the end of his career, Romanowski was implicated in the BALCO Scandal that eventually ended Barry Bonds’ career .

Following his career, Bill Romanowski has appeared in numerous films, including as a prison guard in the Hollywood remake of “The Longest Yard.”  He also appeared in the recent movie, “Get Smart,” with Steve Carrell and Anne Hathaway. Romanowki’s 2005 book Romo: My Life on the Edge Living Dreams and Slaying Dragons, is a NY Times bestseller. In recent years, Romo has gotten back into football as a high school coach in Piedmont, CA for his son’s team.

Talented, intelligent, and controversial, Bill Romanowski of Rockville High certainly made both a good and bad impact during a 16-year career in the NFL.

Notes and Sources:

1. NFL.com

2. usatoday.com

3. ebay.com