Al Trautwig, longtime voice of MSG Network, dead at 68
A legendary New York sports broadcaster has died.
Longtime MSG Network broadcaster Al Trautwig passed away, his former colleague Alan Hahn revealed in a post to social media on Monday. Trautwig’s son, Alex, told the Associated Press his father died Sunday at home on Long Island from complications of cancer.
He was 68.
The Long Island native had been a mainstay in New York sports fans’ homes over his decades-long broadcasting career, covering everything from the Yankees to the Knicks and Rangers, as well as the New York City Marathon and the Olympics.
Trautwig even made a cameo in the Disney classic “Cool Runnings,” which told the story of the debut of the Jamaican national bobsleigh team.
“He was not only a friend, but a mentor and a teacher. He was, personally, one of my biggest resources of support when I moved into this career,” Hahn wrote in a tribute on X.
Trautwig left the airwaves four years ago, after MSG opted not to renew his contract in 2021.
“MSG Networks is truly saddened by the news of Al Trautwig’s passing,” the network said in a statement provided to The Post. “Al was a staple on MSG Networks’ Knicks, Rangers and Yankees coverage for more than 30 years, and his passion for the teams he covered was undeniable. He leaves behind one of the great legacies in New York sports broadcasting history. Our thoughts and prayers are with Al’s family and friends.”
Trautwig, who turned 68 a day before the interview was published, did say that he had been “cleared, and now it is just a matter of getting better.”
Following his departure from the network, Trautwig spent time teaching at Adelphi University on Long Island.
Trautwig was recognized with an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree and was the commencement speaker at his alma mater in 2017.
Over the course of his career, Trautwig won four national Emmy Awards, 28 New York Emmys and a New York State Sportscaster of the Year Award.
He covered 16 Olympic Games for NBC, ABC and CBS, and began his career calling New York Apollo soccer games in 1978 for Adelphi’s student-run radio station WBAU before broadcasting their matches on WMCA radio after graduating.
Trautwig started at MSG Networks in 1989.
“I have been blessed to work with some amazing broadcasters but there was no one better than Al Trautwig,” Yankees broadcaster Michael Kay wrote on social media in tribute to Trautwig. “He was meant to be on the air. Smooth. Unflappable. Al patiently walked a young writer through growing pains on TV. His lessons were invaluable. He was part of the soundtrack of New York sports all those years on MSG. I will miss him. Gone too soon. RIP, my friend.”
Mets broadcaster and former Islanders TV voice Howie Rose described Trautwig as the “best to ever do it” in a post on social media and Jets broadcaster Bob Wischusen called him an “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,” Wischusen wrote in a tribute.
“He was the legendary host of [MSG Network],” said NBC New York’s lead sports anchor Bruce Beck. “He only needed a clipboard with a few notes and — would just go. When it came to extemporaneous speaking — he was among the best ever.”
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