An Emmy-award-winning sportscaster known for his coverage of New York, national, and international sports, Al Trautwig died due to complications from cancer Feb. 23 at the age of 68.
Trautwig was a familiar face on MSG Network covering the Rangers, Knicks, and Yankees, and provided commentary for 16 Olympic Games for NBC, ABC and CBS between 1984 and 2016.
“His passion for the teams he covered was undeniable,” MSG Networks wrote in a statement on social media. “He leaves behind one of the greatest legacies in New York sports broadcasting history.”
Trautwig grew up in Garden City South and graduated from Adelphi University in 1978 and would begin his early sports career as a stickboy for the New York Islanders and ballboy for the New York Nets. After graduating from college, Trautwig started his first broadcasting job covering the New York Apollo soccer team on the WBAU radio station.
Throughout the ’80s and before joining MSG in 1989, Trautwig worked with ABC Sports and USA Network on broadcasts ranging from coverage of the NHL, to gymnastics, tennis, golf, and more.
While working at MSG, Trautwig would host the pre and post-game shows for the Yankees before the team started its own network in the early 2000s and was a regular voice commentating on the Rangers and Knicks for more years to come.
Sports fans across the country would also hear Trautwig’s commentary on Olympic gymnastics, which he covered from 2000 through 2016 along with coverage of other Olympic events like cross-country and combined skiing during the Winter Olympics.
Later in his career, Trautwig would return to Adelphi as an adjunct professor. He spoke to the graduating class in 2017 while receiving an honorary doctorate.
In over 30 years of sports coverage, Trautwig received four national Emmy Awards and more than 30 New York Emmy Awards along with being named New York Sportscaster of the Year in 2000.
Through his multi-disciplinary sports coverage, Trautwig cemented his voice in the minds of sports fans across generations on Long Island and beyond. Trautwig is survived by his wife Cathy and son Alex.
