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Bengals radio announcer Dave Lapham: Three facts about him

Kyle Brown
Cincinnati Enquirer

When the Cincinnati Bengals play the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LVI on Sunday, it will be the third Super Bowl in Bengals' history, and Dave Lapham has been around to see them all.

Lapham played in Super Bowl XVI, and was the Bengals radio announcer for Super Bowl XXIII.

In fact, excluding a 1984-85 stint with the USFL's New Jersey Generals, Dave Lapham has spent his NFL career with Cincinnati. As a player from 1974-83, and as a color analyst on the radio since 1986.

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Lapham and play-by-play Dan Hoard will have the local radio call when the game kicks off at 6:30 p.m.

Here are five things to know about Dave Lapham:

Dave Lapham was the standout of the Bengals' 1974 Draft

A third-round choice out of Syracuse, Lapham went on to have the longest career out of any player the Bengals took that year.

First round pick Bill Kollar from Montana State lasted three seasons with the Bengals, before spending five in Tampa Bay. He has been the defensive line coach in Denver since 2015, and won a Super Bowl there.

Retired NFL defensive standout DeMarcus Ware, right, confers with Denver Broncos defensive line coach Bill Kollar during drills at the NFL football team's training camp Wednesday, June 13, 2018, in Englewood, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Second round pick Charlie Davis from Colorado played one season for the Bengals before injuries derailed his career.

Among other picks were fellow third-rounder, linebacker Evan Jolitz, who played at both Xavier and UC and only played a season with the Bengals. Quarterback Mike Boryla was chosen in the fourth round from Stanford, then forced a trade to Philadelphia. Boryla went to the Pro Bowl for the Eagles in 1975, but had his career shortened by injuries. 

Lapham, meanwhile played for the Bengals for 10 seasons.

Dave Lapham was once an employee of Donald Trump

Following the 1983 season, the 31-year-old Lapham signed a 10-year guaranteed personal services contract with the USFL's New Jersey Generals, and majority owner Donald Trump.

“He was about as good an owner as you could hope for,” Lapham told si.com.

New Jersey Generals Herschel Walker steps over teammate Dave Lapham as he's held by Stars' George Cooper in the first quarter of their USFL playoff game in Philadelphia, June 30, 1984.

Lapham played two seasons with the Generals before calling it a career.

“I looked at the move as a business decision for my family,” Lapham told usflonline.com. “I was a veteran player, so I was year-to-year at that point with the Bengals.”  

Dan Hoard is the latest of Dave Lapham's broadcast partners

Stations and broadcast partners have changed since Lapham came on board in 1986. He and Dan Hoard have been calling games together since 2011.

Lapham began calling games with original Bengals play-by-play man Phil Samp until 1990. Fellow Bengals great Ken Anderson joined Lapham as the color commentator from 1987-91.

Ken Broo was play-by-play from 1991-95. Paul Keels took over for the 1996 season. Pete Arbogast took over in 1997 and was his partner until 1999.

Brad Johansen took over play-by-play duties from 2000-10, with Hoard taking over after.