Cincinnati Bengals: 30 greatest players in franchise history

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• 2x Pro Bowl (1970, 1973)
• 2x AFL All-Star (1968-69)
• 1969 All-League tight end
• 298 receptions for 4,600 yards and 35 touchdowns
• Franchise leader for career yards, touchdowns by a tight end
• Franchise leader for career yards per reception (15.4) by a tight end

Though it has been over 40 years since he last played for the Bengals, Bob Trumpy remains the best tight end in franchise history. He joined the expansion Bengals in 1968 after playing his college ball at Utah. Trumpy would play all 10 of his professional seasons in Cincinnati.

Right out of the gate would Trumpy make an impact on the Queen City gridiron. He made the 1968 AFL All-Star Game as a rookie when he had 37 receptions for 639 yards and three touchdowns.

The next season he would make the last AFL All-Star Game, earning All-League honors as well. Trumpy matched his 37 receptions, but did end up setting career highs in receiving yards (859) and touchdowns (9).

While the level of competition intensified once the Bengals joined the NFL in 1970, that didn’t stop Trumpy from being a highly productive player in the final eight seasons of his football playing career. He made the 1970 Pro Bowl and earned one final nod again in 1973.

Overall, Trumpy would retire with 298 career receptions for 4,600 yards and 35 touchdowns. While his mark of 298 catches has since been surpassed by fellow Bengals great tight end Rodney Holman, Trumpy remains the franchise leader in both yardage and touchdown receptions in Cincinnati history.

After he hung up the spikes, Trumpy would begin a very successful color commentary career as a broadcaster for NBC in the 1980s. His peak as a broadcaster came in the mid-1990s when he was paired with Dick Enberg as NBC’s No. 1 football broadcasting pairing.

Ultimately, his success in the booth perhaps laid the foundation for former Bengals wide receiver Cris Collinsworth has today. Though he is not a hall of fame player by any means, Trumpy did receive the Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2014 for excellence in broadcasting.