天美传媒

by Cecil Harris

As an student, Al Trautwig ’78 majored in business but had a fanatical interest in sports. He had been a stick boy for hockey’s and a ball boy for basketball’s New York Nets when both teams played at Nassau Coliseum, not far from his Long Island home. During those games, he often pretended to do play-by-play commentary from the bench.

Today, Mr. Trautwig is one of sports television鈥檚 busiest and most respected announcers鈥攁 fixture on and on and telecasts on Madison Square Garden Network鈥攂ecause of the advice he followed as an Adelphi student, and the advice he rejected.

From legendary sportscaster Jim McKay, who visited the Garden City campus in the 1970s, Mr. Trautwig learned the importance of writing well and always being curious. 鈥淚f you can somehow find a way to pick the words to make your thing a little bit better, you鈥檒l stand out,鈥� Mr. Trautwig said.

From an Adelphi professor whose name he cannot recall, Mr. Trautwig got this advice: 鈥淟eave New York and get on-air experience at a small station, in a place like Des Moines.鈥�

鈥淭here is absolutely no reason to leave New York,鈥� said Mr. Trautwig who, after broadcasting games on , Adelphi鈥檚 campus radio station, graduated to announcing professional and college sports on bigger New York radio stations as well as and . 鈥淚 got hired by ESPN with an audiotape from a game I did on WBAU. You think that could have happened if I had gone to Des Moines?鈥�

A master storyteller with a distinct, resonant voice, Mr. Trautwig uses his craft to make viewers care about the athletes they鈥檙e watching鈥攚hether in obscure sports like fencing, handball and the Ironman Triathlon or marquee sports like baseball, basketball, hockey, soccer and tennis. Among his honors are two national Emmy awards, three New York Emmys and a New York State Sportscaster of the Year award.听

From February 6鈥揊ebruary 23, Mr. Trautwig will report on cross-country skiing and Nordic combined skiing as part of NBC鈥檚 coverage of the in Sochi, Russia. In 2012, he spoke to 35 million viewers a night as he covered gymnastics on NBC鈥檚 Summer Olympics telecasts from London. Since 1984 Mr. Trautwig has announced 15 Olympic Games for NBC, ABC and CBS.

A member of the , Mr. Trautwig returned to Garden City on November 7, 2013, and spoke to students. He offered this advice:

鈥淚f you鈥檙e not preparing for that dream job, you鈥檒l get beaten out by someone who is. If you鈥檙e not studying for the test that you want to get an A on, not good. If you鈥檙e not learning to write or communicate, not good. That鈥檚 the most important thing you can do at Adelphi. Learn to communicate. Learn to write. You鈥檒l be a better person. And when you go for that big interview that will hopefully come, you鈥檒l have a much better chance.鈥�