If it was New York sports, Al Trautwig's voice resonated profoundly for decades. Trautwig, who hosted Jets Journal on MSG Network from 1987-2004, has died at 68, with his passing announced by ESPN Radio sports talk host Alan Hahn on Monday.
"Al was a true professional at everything he did," said Jets Ambassador Marty Lyons. "Working with him for so many years on Jets Journal, we became close friends, and I used him as a mentor. When I was inducted to the Jets Ring of Honor, Al was on the field, which meant so much to me."
Trautwig's football expertise and coverage extended beyond the Green & White. At the start of the NFL's 2006 season, he moved into the radio booth to host NBC's Football Night in America for Westwood One and the network's coverage of the Arena Football League.
A Long Island native, Trautwig graduated from Adelphi University in Garden City, NY. He was a stickboy with the New York Rangers and a ballboy with the New York Nets in the ABA. He hosted USA Network's hockey coverage in the 1980s and covered the last eight Olympics. From 1991-2001, was host of the New York Yankees' pre- and postgame shows on MSG Network, and most recently did pre- and postgame shows as well as fill-in play-by-play for the New York Rangers and Knicks.
He didn't limit himself to the major sports or the New York market. In 1986-87, he was a pit reporter alongside Jim McKay for ABC Sports' coverage of the Indianapolis 500. He anchored U.S. Open tennis tournament coverage, the Tour de France, Iron Man competitions, international gymnastics events and the New York City Marathon.
Trautwig also appeared on some non-event platforms. In the Eighties, he did sponsor plugs for WWF shows that aired on USA Network. He was one of the original hosts for the Classic Sports Network when it began broadcasting in 1996. In 2006, he hosted a new MSG show named, appropriately enough, Al Trautwig's MSG Vault, featuring footage of Knicks and Rangers games from the Sixties through the Eighties.
Jets and ESPN play-by-play voice Bob Wischusen messaged Sports Business Journal on Trautwig's passing: "I'm just learning that we lost a broadcasting, MSG and NYC media legend. ... When Al's voice was the first you heard to start a pregame, no one made a local broadcast feel bigger. He was also as nice as they come. Sending every good thought and prayer to his family. RIP."
And Lyons, Wischusen's analyst partner for Jets games from 2002-23, recalled, "When I had a chance to do the Jets radio, he was the first one that I called for advice. Al's advice was, 'Pretend you're talking to a blind person.' To say that I loved Al is an understatement. Rest in peace, my friend, I'll see you on the other side."
