Copyright Men's Journal
Bob Trumpy, the legendary Bengals tight end and sports radio broadcaster, has died at 80. The Bengals announced the tragic news on Sunday (via The State Journal Register). Trumpy Spent a Decade with the Bengals Trumpy was taken out of Utah in the 12th round of the 1969 draft. He played 10 seasons for Cincinnati, collecting 4,600 yards, 35 receiving touchdowns, and 15.4 yards per reception, which remains the most by a tight end in the Bengals’ history. He made the Pro Bowl four times and was named first-team All-Pro in 1969. He Was a Pioneering NFL Broadcaster After retiring in 1978, Trumpy became one of the pioneering voices of sports radio at 700WLW, then Cincinnati’s most prominent radio station. He broadcast on the station from 1980 until 1990, at which point he left for NBC Sports, where he called four Super Bowls, three Ryder Cups, and three Olympic Games. At the time Trumpy began broadcasting, there was no infrastructure for sports radio. He was one of the first to trailblaze the new frontier in media. “I’ve known Bob since we started here and he had an extraordinary career as both a player and a broadcaster,” Bengals president Mike Brown said in a statement. “He was an exceptional and rare tight end who could get downfield and split zone coverages. Speed was his hallmark. He was as fast as any wide receiver and was a deep threat. That was rare for a tight end then and it’s rare now. “As a broadcaster, he made his mark both locally and nationally,” Brown continued, “and excelled at sports other than football in a career that was as successful as what he accomplished on the field. He did it all very well and I regret his passing.”
