The Bengals announced on Sunday that their former tight end Bob Trumpy has died at the age of 80.
Trumpy was a 12th-round pick out of Utah in 1968 — the Bengals’ inaugural season — and he spent a decade playing for the Bengals. He was an AFL All-Star in his first two seasons and made two Pro Bowls after the merger between the AFL and the NFL.
After retiring, Trumpy moved into the broadcast booth for NBC for the next two decades. He teamed with Dick Enberg to call a pair of Super Bowls and also worked alongside announcers like Bob Costas and Don Criqui during his time with the network.
“I’ve known Bob since we started here and he had an extraordinary career as both a player and a broadcaster,” Bengals owner 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, 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.”
Trumpy had 298 catches for 4,600 yards and 35 touchdowns during his playing career. He was selected to the Bengals’ 50th anniversary team in 2017.