CINCINNATI — The two newest editions to the Bengals Ring of Honor stand out as two of the most uniquely gifted players at their positions in franchise history.
The Bengals announced Wednesday that the late tight end Bob Trumpy (1968-77) and running back James Brooks (1984-91) will be added to the team’s Ring of Honor during the team’s Nov. 1 home game against Tennessee. They will join Ken Anderson, Willie Anderson, Paul Brown, Isaac Curtis, Corey Dillon, Boomer Esiason, Chad Johnson, Dave Lapham, Tim Krumrie, Anthony Muñoz, Lemar Parrish and Ken Riley in the Bengals Ring of Honor.
Trumpy, who entered the NFL as a 12th-round draft pick of the Bengals in their inaugural 1968 season, was an influential member of the franchise’s early history. He scored the team’s first ever receiving touchdown on Sept. 15, 1968 against the Denver Broncos at Nippert Stadium, and went on to play in 128 games with 120 starts over the next 10 seasons. Among all tight ends in team history, he has the most receiving yards (4600), receiving TDs (35), yards per reception (15.4) and Pro Bowl selections (four).
“In my opinion, during his time, Bob was the best receiving tight end in the league,” said Bengals President and team owner Mike Brown. “He was a top-level player. He had a long stride. He had good hands. Because the safeties couldn’t stay with him, he became a productive downfield threat for us. He had something that drove him to be good, and he became a great player.”
Bill Belichick, one of the most accomplished coaches in NFL history, often labeled Paul Brown’s offense as “not the West Coast offense but the Ohio River offense” and noted Bob Trumpy’s role in that offense as one of the game first true explosive tight ends off the line of scrimmage, offering a release valve for quarterbacks like Virgil Carter, Greg Cook and Ken Anderson facing intense pass rushes.
Trumpy passed away last Nov. 2, just prior to the team’s game against the Bears at Paycor Stadium.
Trumpy, of course, had as much impact – if not more – on Cincinnati in his post-playing days as one of the most iconic and trendsetting personalities in the new medium of “SportsTalk”. He became one of the more notable and distinguished personalties talking sports on radio in the country during his nightly show on 700 WLW.
Brooks established himself as one of the most versatile and complete running backs in Bengals history during his eight seasons with the team. He remains the franchise’s career record holder for average yards per carry (4.8; minimum 500 attempts), while ranking second in team history in rushing yards (6447) and tied for fifth in rushing TDs (37). Perhaps just as notable were his 3012 career receiving yards which contributed to a total of 9459 yards from scrimmage, the fourth-most ever by a Bengal. He holds three of the team’s top 10 highest scrimmage yardage totals in a season, highlighted by a franchise-record 1773 yards in 1986.
“James was one of the toughest players we ever had,” said Brown. “He was a good runner, and not only was he a good catch out of the backfield, he knew how to get yards after he made the catch. And he was quick. Extremely hard to cover on the goal line. But the thing the numbers don’t say that needs being said is he was an exceptional pass protector. It’s good he’s recognized. He deserves it.”
Season Ticket Members selected Trumpy and Brooks from a ballot that featured 12 individuals who have played a significant role in the franchise’s history and tradition. For more information on the Ring of Honor, visit bengals.com/team/ring-of-honor.
The induction ceremony will take place during halftime of the game against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, Nov. 1. Fans may purchase tickets for all home games at bengals.com/tickets or by calling Bengals Fan Relations at (513) 621-8383.
