Raw statistics don’t tell the story of Boise State’s Randy Trautman.
In fact, one doesn’t need statistics to understand the impact of the man who ranks 26th on the list of the Big Sky Conference’s “50 Greatest Male Athletes.’’
Randy Trautman was a leader. He lived for football. He was as dominant of a defensive player as the Big Sky has ever seen, and he’s one of just two league players to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
“How good was Randy?’’ Jim Criner, rhetorically asked. Well, Criner knows. He coached Trautman at Boise State.
“Back in those days, we used to play three or four I-A teams a year, teams like Utah and Utah State,’’ Criner said. “There wasn’t a player on the field who dominated the game like Randy did. He literally dominated against Division I-A opponents. His speed and his quickness were just incredible.’’
Trautman led the Broncos to the 1980 Division I-AA National Championship. The 6-foot-3, 245-pound defensive tackle was First Team All-Big Sky in 1980 and 1981, and the league’s Defensive MVP in 1981.
“I was very aggressive and had good technique,’’ said Trautman, who is retired and living in Oregon. “I gave 100 percent. I had a great defensive line coach in Bill Dutton. I never really felt that I dominated, but people told me I did.”
Trautman came to Boise from Caldwell, Idaho. He was a standout prep heavyweight wrestler in high school, and arrived at Boise State on a wrestling scholarship, but never ended up on the mat. Trautman had bad knees, which kept the major schools from recruiting him. He sat out his first season at Boise State, allowing him to work with the team physician to get his knees in playing shape.
“Our wrestling coach, Mike Young, felt the knees would be too vulnerable at the heavyweight division,’’ Criner recalled. “It wasn’t a good thing for him. He ended up just playing football, which at first was a tough sell, because he came to Boise and thought he was going to be able to do both. The doctors did a great job with him just to get him to be able to play.’’
Trautman became a team leader, earning respect from his teammates because of his tireless work-ethic and hard-nosed style. He expected his teammates to give as much as he gave, and work as hard as he worked.
“Randy was by far the most important player we had in our program,’’ Criner said. “Randy took everything we said to heart. We told our players that each practice they needed to practice the way they would play. One day, Randy came up to me and told me he needed to talk to the team. Randy told them that the next guy who didn’t practice up to game tempo was going to see him. No one wanted anything to do with Randy when he was mad. All of a sudden, you wouldn’t believe the tempo in practice, and it stayed that way for the four years that Randy was there.’’
Trautman earned Second Team All-Big Sky honors in 1979. In 1980, he recorded 100 tackles – 10 for loss, and had two forced fumbles. Boise State’s defense allowed just 304.5 yards per game and 17 touchdowns during the regular season. The Broncos went 8-3 in the regular season, won the Big Sky, and earned the league’s first Division I-AA National Championship.
Trautman was named the Big Sky Defensive MVP in 1981. He was named to the Associated Press and Kodak All-America squads in 1980 and 1981. He finished his collegiate career with 266 total tackles, and 29 tackles for loss. The Washington Redskins selected Trautman in the ninth round of the 1982 NFL Draft, but his stay was brief.
“Joe Gibbs didn’t like me,’’ Trautman said. “He called me “The Farmer.’’ I was an old-school boy. On our first road trip, all I had was khakis and a dress shirt. Everyone else on the plane was in ties and suits. It made Joe mad. So, that was the first time I owned a suit. The general manager Bobby Beathard really liked me. He and Joe ended up fighting in the office during the final cuts. Bobby came out and told me I was gone.’’
Trautman eventually landed with the Calgary Stampeders of the CFL. He arrived in Canada on a Thursday, started on a Saturday, and sacked Warren Moon twice. What was supposed to be a three-week stay, ended up with Trautman signing a three-year contract.
“They were only going to keep me until another guy got healed up,’’ Trautman said. “I was in the shower, and they told me that Coach wanted to talk with me. I thought, ‘Oh my gosh.’ I went in to his office in my robe, and they asked me if I wanted to play here. I said I’m already playing here. They signed me up for three years, and cut the other guy. I liked Calgary. It was my kind of country.’’
The knee problems ended his football career, and he stayed out of the limelight until his induction into the College Football Hall of Fame.
“I played my ass off,’’ he said. “I was very gracious, thankful, and proud. That was a lot of fun. I was gracious, just like I am now to have the Big Sky recognize me. I really appreciate this. It’s pretty sweet. I’ve always respected the Big Sky.’’
