CINCINNATI — A true Bengals icon and Cincinnati broadcast legend has passed.
The Bengals organization announced Sunday morning that former tight end/wide receiver Bob Trumpy, who played for the team from its inaugural season in 1968 through ’77, died peacefully at the age of 80, at his home surrounded by family. Trumpy will be remembered as much – if not more – for the impact he made off the field in Cincinnati as a broadcaster and voice of Cincinnati sports as what he did as a key part of a revolutionary offense.
Trumpy, a 12th-round draft pick out of the University of Utah in 1968, became an instrumental piece of the Bengals’ early history. He scored the franchise’s first ever receiving touchdown on a 58-yard catch on Sept. 15, 1968 against the Denver Broncos at Nippert Stadium. His 4600 career receiving yards, 35 career receiving TDs and 15.4 yards per reception each are the most by a tight end in Bengals history. He was selected to four Pro Bowls (1968-70, ’73), also the most by a tight end in team history.
“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.”
In his rookie season, he caught 37 passes for 639 yards and three touchdowns, and earning a place on the AFL Western Division All-Star team.
In Cincinnati, Trumpy played under hall of fame coach Paul Brown, head coach Tiger Johnson, and offensive coach Bill Walsh, another hall of fame coach and offensive innovator. Playing as both a tight end and wide receiver, he became an integral part of what became the “Ohio River/West Coast Offense”, which implemented short passes and routes to account for a less-than-ideal offensive line at times.
In 1969, Trumpy averaged 22.6 yards per catch, on 37 passes for 835 yards and nine touchdowns. Trumpy was selected first-team AFL All-League tight end by numerous entities, including the Associated Press (AP), Pro Football Weekly, the Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA), and United Press International (UPI), and second-team by The Sporting News and the Professional Football Writers of America. He was again selected to the AFL All-Star team. In a November 1969 game against the Houston Oilers, Trumpy became the first Bengals tight end to record three touchdown receptions in a single game, helping his team to a 31–31 tie.
Following his Bengals tenure, Trumpy went on to have a distinguished broadcasting career, most notably serving as an NFL color analyst for NBC Sports. He called four Super Bowls, three Olympic Games and three Ryder Cups. In 2014, he was presented the Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award by the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
“As a broadcaster, he made his mark both locally and nationally, and excelled at sports other than football in a career that was as successful as what he accomplished on the field,” Brown added. “He did it all very well and I regret his passing.”
Trumpy once took a call on 700 WLW from a woman in distress who was voicing suicidal thoughts and talked her calmly off the emotional edge. Trumpy became a revolutionary voice in Cincinnati SportsTalk radio before making his mark with NBC nationally.
