Dario Romero had a game for the ages for the Eastern Washington University football team back in 1997, but that was only the beginning for what would become an All-America collegiate campaign and 11-year professional career for the product of Spokane, Wash.
Romero, who played seven seasons in the Canadian Football League and four in the National Football League for the Miami Dolphins, will be among the 19th class of inductees into the Eastern Athletics Hall of Fame on Sept. 28, 2019, in conjunction with EWU's football game versus North Dakota at Roos Field in Cheney, Wash.
Romero was a 1996 graduate of Lewis & Clark High School in Spokane where he earned All-Greater Spokane League honors. He then played as a freshman on EWU's 1997 team which advanced to the semifinals of the FCS Playoffs. Before his playing career was through he would have 369 total tackles and 47 1/2 sacks in 15 total years of collegiate and pro football.
Romer finished his EWU career with 172 tackles, including 22 sacks to rank fifth in school history at the time (now ninth through 2018). He had 4 1/2 sacks in a 39-32 victory over Cal State Northridge on Nov. 15, 1997, to help wrap-up the Big Sky Conference title for the Eagles. His performance ranked third at the time and is still third in school history (through 2018).
Romero was an honorable mention All-Big Sky Conference selection as a sophomore, then earned NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA) All-America honors as both a junior and senior. Before beginning an 11-year professional career in the NFL and CFL, Romero earned his bachelor's degree from Eastern in physical education in 2000.
He began his professional career in 2001 for the Edmonton Eskimos, then spent four seasons from 2002-2005 on the roster of the Miami Dolphins and playing a total of 26 games (two as a starter) and registering 26 tackles, 3 1/2 sacks and two passes broken up.
He returned to the CFL in 2006, and in 2008 and 2009 he was a West Division All-Star for the Edmonton Eskimos. He retired from professional football in 2012, and had 171 career regular season tackles in seven CFL seasons, including 22 sacks to go along with an interception and five fumble recoveries. Those are nearly identical to his stats while at EWU (172, 22).
He now resides in Spokane and teaches at Innovation High School, a part of the Pride Schools (charter school). He has also joined forces with several other former Eagles as a trainer at the Pro Vision Football Academy.
Track and field standout
Lisa Sorrell was the first individual inductee to be announced in this year's class, followed by Spokane & Gonzaga Prep volleyball product
Keva Sonderen. The 1980 men's track and field team has previously been announced as an inductee this year. Coached by
Jerry Martin, that 1980 team was very dominant, finishing fourth in the NCAA Division II Championships, sixth in the NAIA Championships and more than doubled runner-up Central Washington's point total in the NAIA District 1 Championships (289-144).
The induction and 40th anniversary of the success by the 1980 team will also serve as a tribute event in honor of Martin, who was inducted into Eastern's Hall of Fame in 2001. All of Martin's former student-athletes from his 18 years as head coach are invited to attend and celebrate his legacy. Martin's 1982 NCAA Division II National Championship cross country team was inducted in 2007.
The induction breakfast and ceremony is expected to start at approximately 8 a.m. on Sept. 28 at the Pence Union Building's Nysether Community Room on the EWU campus in Cheney, and the public is invited to attend at a cost of $25 per person. Guests must register via a link that will be available in July at
http://goeags.com/HOF. Inductees will also be honored at halftime of EWU's football game against North Dakota later that day (kickoff is TBA), and recognized the night before at EWU's home volleyball game versus Portland State.
Established in 1996, the Hall of Fame currently consists of 88 individuals and 17 teams. In addition, there have also been 20 individuals and one organization honored as recipients of the Eastern Athletics Hall of Fame Service and Contribution Award. All of the inductees and induction classes may be viewed at:
http://goeags.com/HOF.
Dario Romero (Athlete/Football)
Before beginning an 11-year professional career in the NFL and CFL, Dario Romero earned NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA) All-America honors as both a junior and senior. In earning first team All-Big Sky Conference honors both seasons, the defensive lineman was a third team All-America pick by Associated Press in 2000, and the Football Gazette picked him as a third team All-American in 1999 and honorable mention in 2000. He also was the team's co-MVP on defense in 2000. Romero, a 1996 graduate of Lewis & Clark High School in Spokane, was an honorable mention All-Big Sky Conference selection as a sophomore and played as a freshman on EWU's 1997 team which advanced to the semifinals of the FCS Playoffs. He finished his career with 22 sacks to rank fifth in school history at the time (now ninth through 2018), and also had 172 career tackles with five passes broken up, a pair of forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and an interception. Romero had 4 1/2 sacks versus Cal State Northridge on Nov. 15, 1997, to help wrap-up the Big Sky title for the Eagles. His performance ranked third at the time and is still third in school history (through 2018). Romero earned his bachelor's degree from Eastern in physical education in 2000. He was selected by the Eastern Athletic Department to the "100 for 100" All-Time Football Team, which was honored on Sept. 27, 2008, to commemorate Eastern's 100th year of football. The 1997 football team he played on was inducted into the Eastern Athletics Hall of Fame in 2012. Romero began his professional career in 2001 for the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League in 2001, playing in 11 games as a starter for the Eskimos and finishing with 23 tackles, three sacks, two forced fumbles and two tackles for loss in 11 games. He then got his break in the National Football League, spending four seasons from 2002-2005 on the roster of the Miami Dolphins and playing a total of 26 games (two as a starter) and registering 26 tackles, 3 1/2 sacks and two passes broken up. He didn't play in any games in 2002 after signing a contract with the Dolphins on Jan. 16, 2002. He then played in eight games with the Dolphins in 2003, finishing with five tackles and a pass broken up. The first start of his career came in Miami's season-ending 23-21 victory over the New York Jets. He played in 14 regular season games for Miami in 2004, making the second start of his career on Nov. 21 at Seattle. He finished the year with 21 tackles and 3 1/2 sacks, then also spent the 2005 season on the roster of the Dolphins after signing a contract on March 28, 2005. He then played the 2006 and 2007 seasons back in the CFL for the Montreal Alouettes. He missed several games for Montreal in the 2006 season with an injury, but finished with 19 tackles. In 2007, he joined former Eagles Luke Fritz, Jesse Hendrix and Lamont Brightful on the Alouettes roster and finished with 28 tackles and four sacks in 18 games played. He also added two tackles for loss, two passes broken up, one interception and a fumble recovery. Romero played the 2008, 2009 and 2010 seasons with Edmonton where his professional career started back in 2001. He played in 16 games with 15 starts in 2008, and was named a West Division All-Star as Edmonton advanced to the playoffs. He finished the 2008 season with 30 defensive tackles, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, four tackles for losses and six quarterback sacks. He had two sacks versus Hamilton on July 25 and two against Saskatchewan on Aug. 21. Romero earned CFL Defensive Player of the Week honors for his performance against the Roughriders as the Eskimo defense limited Saskatchewan to just 279 yards of net offense. In 2009, Romero was a West Division All-Star after starting all 12 games he played before a bicep injury ended his season. He finished with 22 tackles and two knockdowns to go along with a team-leading six sacks in the regular season. He played alongside fellow former Eagle Greg Peach, who also had six sacks as a rookie. Edmonton finished the regular season 9-9, then suffered a 24-21 first-round playoff loss to Calgary. Romero then finished with 24 tackles, a sack and fumble recovery in 2010 as a 15-game starter while playing alongside Peach, as they helped the Eskimos finish 7-11. Romero ended his long professional career by being signed and playing for Saskatchewan in the CFL in 2011 where he had 28 tackles with a pair of sacks and two fumble recoveries. After 11 seasons as a professional, he retired in April of 2012. He finished with 171 career regular season tackles in seven CFL seasons, including 22 sacks to go along with an interception and five fumble recoveries. He resides in Spokane and teaches at Innovation High School, a part of the Pride Schools (charter school). He has also joined forces with several other former Eagles as a trainer at the Pro Vision Football Academy.
