NFL legend Bob Trumpy dead at 80: Bengals mourn iconic tight end and Hall-of-Fame announcer
Bengals legend Bob Trumpy has died at the age of 80, the team announced on its website Sunday.
Trumpy, who spent his entire 10-year playing career with the Bengals, was a four-time Pro Bowl tight end who retired after the 1977 season.
He later became a Hall-of-Fame football broadcaster, as he called four Super Bowls and three Olympic Games.
The Bengals' website said that Trumpy passed 'peacefully' at home surrounded by his family.
'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 did it all very well and I regret his passing.'
Bob Trumpy, seen circa 1973, is considered a Cincinnati Bengals legend
He was known for his pass-catching as a tight end and made four Pro Bowl appearances
Trumpy had a high-profile broadcasting career after hanging up his cleats from the NFL
Trumpy was a 12th-round pick in 1968 out of Utah, and quickly made an impression as a pass-catching tight end.
He caught the first touchdown pass in Bengals history and was a Pro Bowler in each of his first three seasons.
Incredibly, his 35 touchdowns are still the most all-time among Bengals tight ends.
Towards the end of his playing career, Trumpy dipped his toes into the broadcasting world with his 'Sports Talk' show on Cincinnati local radio, before going on to call some of the biggest events in sports with NBC.
He ultimately received the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Pete Rozelle Radio & Television Award in 2014 for 'longtime exceptional contributions to radio and television in professional football.'
Fans had plenty of heartfelt tributes to Trumpy once the news broke on social media.
'One of the true great ones in franchise history. Should have been in the team [ring of honor],' one wrote.
'A Bengals icon in every sense — his legacy and voice will always live on in Cincinnati. Rest easy, Bob Trumpy,' another said.
And a third said: 'So bummed to hear this news. I grew up, listening to him on Sportstalk and then got to work with him as well. Love and prayers to his family.
