Bengals fans knock it out of the park with new Ring of Honor inductees, but now the real challenge begins
James Brooks and Bob Trumpy are joining an elite group of former Cincinnati Bengals later this year. Brooks and Trumpy are the Bengals’ 2026 Ring of Honor inductees.
James Brooks and Bob Trumpy are joining an elite group of former Cincinnati Bengals later this year.
Brooks and Trumpy are the Bengals’ 2026 Ring of Honor inductees.
Brooks, who played eight of his 12 years in Cincinnati (1984-1992), is the franchise record holder for yards per carry average at 4.8 and is still second in rushing yards (6,447) and tied for fifth in rushing touchdowns (37). He also hauled in 3,012 career receiving yards, bringing his total yards from scrimmage to 9,459, the fourth-most in franchise history.
Trumpy, who played his entire 10-year career with the Bengals, was an original member of their inaugural 1968 team. He scored the team’s first ever receiving touchdown, and still holds the club record for most TDs scored by a tight end (35) along with receiving yards (4,600) and yards per reception (15.4). He died at the age of 80 on Nov. 2 of last year.
Brooks and Trumpy will join Ken Anderson, Willie Anderson, Paul Brown, Isaac Curtis, Corey Dillon, Boomer Esiason, Chad Johnson, Dave Lapham, Tim Krumrie, Anthony Muñoz, Lemar Parrish and Ken Riley in the Ring of Honor.
Voters got it right
This year was vastly different for Bengals season ticket members voting for the new class. Geno Atkins, Carlos Dunlap, A.J. Green, Leon Hall, and Andrew Whitworth all become eligible for the first time, and the remaining seven names from the inaugural ballot back in 2021 were also on the ballot. Brooks and Trumpy were still waiting their turn alongside Jim Breech, Cris Collinsworth, David Fulcher, Max Montoya, and Reggie Williams.
Cincinnati revealed back in May one of the remaining original nominees would be guaranteed to be voted in this year, but the other inductee could’ve been one of the modern finalists.
After this year, only one name will be inducted per year.
“Most other teams who do these inductions always do one at a time, and I think it presents really nicely,” director of strategy & engagement Elizabeth Blackburn said on May 27. “It lets them own the year, the game, the moment.”
That’s why getting two of the original candidates in this year was critical. I wrote about the need back when the announcement was fresh.
It will only become harder and harder for Breech, Collinsworth, Fulcher, Montoya, and Williams to have their day of glory. All of them are 61 or older, and Breech, Montoya, and Williams are all 70 or above.
Trumpy is already going to be the second former Cincinnati great inducted posthumously, joining Riley. The goal should be to never have it happen again.
Next year will be the real test
Voters will have a tough choice when submitting their 2027 ballots. Do they go back to the well of older former players to ensure another get to experience their legacies honored, or will they give flowers to a player who dominated within the last two decades?
Atkins and Green are the natural favorites as the first modern inductees. The former is a Pro Football Hall of Fame All-2010 Team member and has a clear case to be enshrined in Canton in the near future. Green has more of an outside chance, but still has a strong resume.
Fans have used the Ring of Honor as a springboard to get former Bengals into the Hall. It worked for Riley, and both Anderson’s are knocking on the door. Atkins or Green could be the latest examples.
Such is a debate for next year. This year’s Ring of Honor induction ceremony will take place during halftime of Cincy’s Week 8 matchup against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, Nov. 1.