The passing of former Bengal and WLW sports talk host Bob Trumpy is a sad reminder of a former friend and colleague…who credits Trumpy for his style and willingness to tell the truth at all costs.
When I heard of the passing of former Bengal tight end and WLW broadcaster Bob Trumpy on Sunday, my first thought was of a conversation I had years ago with then Press Pros contributor, and later friend, Greg Hoard.
Hoard, of course, worked the Cincinnati sports beat for years covering the Reds for the Post and the Enquirer, and knew Trumpy from a professional perspective, but not necessarily as a friend. Hoard passed away last February.
Bob Trumpy held the distinction of having scored the Bengals first receiving touchdown on September 15, 1968.
“Trumpy was the man,” said Hoardie. “Buddy, I’m telling you he was the man. Geezus…there was never anyone in this business so opinionated and staunch in the belief that he was right like Bob Trumpy. Because first of all, he didn’t care who he upset as long as he got the facts right and could justify his position. He really didn’t care if people liked him. He cared about getting the truth out to those he felt really wanted to know. That’s what made SportsTalk on WLW radio the instant success that it was…and it stayed that way until he left. People loved him for it.
“And if you need proof of that,” Hoard added, “He was the only one in Cincinnati who was willing to criticize Paul Brown for firing [Bengals coach] Tiger Johnson in 1976. At the time Trumpy was working for WCKY, not WLW, and the station manager egged him on a bit by saying, ‘Now we’ll find out if you’re a former Bengal or a true journalist.” Trumpy went public with his criticism of Brown and the next day at the Bengals practice facility the ol’ man lectured him and stuck his finger in Bob’s face for more than an hour.”
I met Trumpy once, personally, at a Bengals game after his playing days. He was in the press box at old Riverfront Stadium and I introduced myself and said that I enjoyed his show. It was not a warm and fuzzy moment, as he kinda’ shrugged and walked away…which was fine. I didn’t care. But it taught me something about celebrity and focus, and people taking their job seriously. Trumpy didn’t take time for small talk.
“He could come across as being a little distant,” added Hoard. “But if he was your friend, and trusted you, he was one of the funniest people you ever met. Had this big voice, and you always knew when he was in the room. He could be a person that others wanted to be around just to hear what he might say.”
He eventually left his Cincinnati journalistic roots to work as an analyst for NBC, doing the NFL (four Super Bowls) and three Olympic Games. But he never really left the city of Cincinnati, despite all his travels and obligations.
“Say what you believe, and write about what you see…and don’t worry about what people think.” – Greg Hoard
“He once shared to his local audience that no adolescent athlete should play contact football until he was sixteen years old,” said Hoard. “He believed, instead, that they should play soccer and ice hockey because those sports did more to develop athleticism and coordination than football…and allowed time for the maturity of bones and muscles without the risk of injury from contact. I think it p—-d off a lot of people, especially high school football coaches in Cincinnati. But that was Trumpy, and he didn’t care.
“I was never around him that much,” he added. “But what I learned from his example was that you can’t be concerned if people don’t like you for your opinion. Like when he and Paul Brown got into it, because as it turned out Brown made mistakes, too. He could have hired Bill Walsh to be the Bengals coach when he had the chance. Instead, he hired Tiger Johnson. I became a better reporter because of Bob Trumpy. Say what you believe, and write what you see, and don’t worry about people think. They’re going to read, anyway, whether they like it or not.”
Bob Trumpy was 80 years old and owns the distinction of having scored the franchise’s first receiving touchdown, playing tight end, against the Denver Broncos, on September 15, 1968.
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