Cards: Topps 1970, Upper Deck Legends 1997
Acquired: TTM 2018, C/o Home
Sent:  1/2/2018        Received: 3/8/2018   (60 days)

CAREER SNAPSHOT:

• A surprise 12th round pick of the expansion Cincinnati Bengals in 1968, Bob Trumpy didn’t have that much in the way of stats. 
• He played for Illinois in 1964 as a wide receiver, where he had 28 receptions for 428 yards and 2 TDs, and then later in 1966 one additional year at Utah catching 9 passes for 159 yards and 2 TDs.
• Bob played 10 seasons for the Bengals putting together solid numbers during the ‘dead ball’ era of football.
• He scored the first points in Bengals history.
• In 1969- his best season as a pro, Bob had 37 receptions for 835 yards and 9 touchdowns- including an 80 yard strike.
• He’d retire after the 1977 season, but find his calling quickly in broadcasting.
• Cincinnati loved Trumpy- so much so that he became a mainstay radio personality.
• Bob moved onto the national stage as a network color man primarily for NBC Sports AFC Central coverage.
• In 2000 he then moved over to radio for Westwood One calling games.
• Later in his career he was honored for his achievements in radio and TV.

ACCOLADES:

• Pro Bowl 1968-’70, ’73
• All Pro 1969
• Pete Rozelle Radio- Television Award 2014

NOTES:

A Cincinnati legend, Bob Trumpy is a great example of the early AFL/ NFL reaching for a player whose primary sport was basketball. Trumpy had 2 things really going for him from the get go. First, he was an imposing specimen at 6’6″, 230, and secondly, the Bengals expansion franchise was pretty well stocked with veterans, so everyday Bob had to go out there and impress people. 

I became familiar with ol’ Trumpy during his broadcast heyday. He did great color work during the ’80s for the then AFC Central on NBC Sports. Frequently Bob would call a play before it’d happen, or mention that some player hasn’t caught a pass in 6 games and is over due, and then all of a sudden the quarterback would throw a completion towards that overlooked player. He really was a marvel to listen to, and was especially in his element when paired up with Don Criqui or Dick Enberg.

A few months ago, I happened to catch an old rebroadcast of the infamous 1988 Wild Card Playoff slugout between the Cleveland Browns and Houston Oilers. The aforementioned team was assigned announcing and color duties and the game would end up going down in infamy. As the antics of Jerry Glanville went into overdrive, this game proved to be the final game of the Schottenheimer Era in Cleveland. It was an amazing game full of heroes, villains, and a pulse pounding finale. To this day, I still remember the game and consider it an epitome of a sports classic from the old rough and tumble of the AFC Central.

EPITAPH:

11/2/25- It was announced today that former Bengals TE and Hall of Fame broadcaster Bob Trumpy has passed away at the age of 80. No cause of death was given.

REC	YDS	AVG	TD	LG
298	4600	15.4	35	80t