By Lydia Jane Allison

FROM WIKIPEDIA COMMONS

Robert Theodore Trumpy Jr. (March 6, 1945 – November 2, 2025) was an American professional football player and sports broadcaster. He was a tight end for the Cincinnati Bengals of the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL) from 1968 through 1977. He was a two-time NFL Pro Bowler and two-time AFL All-Star.

Trumpy played college football for the Illinois Fighting Illini and Utah Utes before being selected by the Bengals in the 12th round of the 1968 NFL/AFL draft. After his playing career, Trumpy spent many years as a broadcast color analyst, calling four Super Bowls. He was given the Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2014.

He grew up in Tremont, Illinois. When his father, Robert Sr. had a job transfer, his family moved from Tremont to Springfield, Illinois. He played multiple sports at Tremont High School and went to Springfield High School as a sophomore. He was all-state in football and basketball. He was on Springfield’s state championship basketball team, and he was team captain as a senior there, as well as being named All-State.

Bob Trumpy played in four state tournaments, which took place at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, during this time, two in basketball and two in track, where he won the 1963 state meet in long jump and tied for fifth in high jump. He was inducted into the Basketball Museum of Illinois Hall of Fame in 1983. In 1991, he was among the first inductees into the Springfield Sports Hall of Fame, and in 1996 he was inducted into the Springfield High Hall of Fame.

After graduation in 1963, Trumpy played college football at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Since freshmen were not allowed to play on the varsity team, his first season with the Fighting Illini was in 1964 playing as a wide receiver, catching a team-high 28 passes for 428 yards and two touchdowns. He missed the last two games of the season with a knee injury. Trumpy then transferred to the University of Utah in Salt Lake City which required him to miss the 1965 season. In 1966, he converted to the tight end position, catching nine passes for 159 yards and two scores for the Utes. Afterwards, he dropped out of school.

After joining the United States Naval Reserve, he was activated into the Navy, serving 180 days during the Vietnam War.

After being discharged from the Navy, Trumpy worked briefly as a bill collector before being selected by the AFL’s Bengals in the 12th round (301st overall) of the 1968 common draft. Despite his low draft selection, Trumpy worked hard in the offseason and managed to earn the starting tight end spot in the team’s lineup. He didn’t disappoint in his rookie season, recording 37 receptions 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.

In 1969, Trumpy averaged 22.6 yards per catch, on 37 passes for 835 yards and nine touchdowns. He 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. In 1970, with the Bengals now part of the National Football League following the AFL-NFL merger, The Sporting News and AP selected him first-team AFC All-Conference.

Trumpy earned two trips to the Pro Bowl in 1970 and 1973 and continued to play for the Bengals until 1977.

Trumpy finished his 10-year career with 298 receptions for 4,600 yards and 35 touchdowns in 128 games. His 4,600 receiving yards, 35 touchdown receptions, and 15.4 yards per catch average are the most ever by a Bengals tight end (as of 2025)