Rod Trongard
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rod Trongard (1933-2005) was a Minnesota-based sports broadcaster on both radio and television in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area for more than fifty years.
[edit] Early career
Trongard's career began in 1953 at KXRA Alexandria, followed by positions at KSDN Aberdeen, South Dakota, and KDIO Ortonville. He moved to the Twin Cities in 1959 as news director at WLOL. It was there than Trongard began his sports broadcasting career, calling basketball for the Minnesota Muskies as well as the Minneapolis Lakers (preceding Chick Hearn until the Lakers moved to Los Angeles). Trongard also called University of Minnesota football and basketball.
He joined KSTP in 1968, where he broadcast Minnesota Pipers basketball, produced Minnesota Vikings football and Minnesota North Stars hockey broadcasts, and did player and coach interviews. He also hosted Minnesota Gopher football coach Cal Stoll’s show on KSTP TV. He also was the public address announcer for the Minnesota Fighting Saints (WHA) hockey team and the Minnesota Kicks (NASL) soccer team.
[edit] Wrestling
Trongard is fondly remembered as the voice of AWA pro wrestling throughout the 1980's, calling matches involving the likes of Hulk Hogan, Nick Bockwinkel, Bobby Heenan, Verne Gagne, The Road Warriors, Shawn Michaels and many others. Trongard's voice was featured on the AWA's weekly ESPN broadcasts, reaching millions of homes around the world. His signature phrase "From coast to coast, continent to continent, and border to border" brought the broadcasts closer to the viewer, as he'd often include city names in the phrase, signifying the broad reach of wrestling and the AWA's broadcasts at the time.
Trongard left the AWA in 1988 for a brief stint in the WWF, before retiring from the wrestling scene.
[edit] Later career and death
Trongard joined KEEZ FM Mankato in 1982, where he did morning drive, news, and sports for eleven years before moving to KTOE/KDOG Mankato in 1993. He continued to broadcast sports on KTOE/KDOG and on KXAC/KRRW St. James for many years, and was an important part of the community in southern Minnesota until he died after a long battle with liver cancer in June of 2005.
Trongard was inducted into the Pavek Museum of Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2003
