Bill Tobin (American football)

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Bill Tobin
Personal information
Born:(1941-02-16)February 16, 1941
Burlington Junction, Missouri, U.S.
Died:April 19, 2024(2024-04-19) (aged 83)
Height:5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight:210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High school:Maryville (Maryville, Missouri)
College:Missouri
Position:Personnel executive
NFL draft:1963 / Round: 14 / Pick: 189
Career history
As a player:
As an executive:
Career NFL statistics
Rushing att-yards:75-271
Receptions-yards:
13-173
Touchdowns:5
Player stats at NFL.com

Bill Tobin (February 16, 1941 – April 19, 2024) was an American professional football player and executive in the National Football League (NFL). Tobin played running back for one season with the Houston Oilers. He later become the general manager of the Chicago Bears and Indianapolis Colts along with the director of player personnel for the Detroit Lions in 2001.

Early life and education

Bill and his brother Vince Tobin both were born on a farm near Burlington Junction, Missouri. Their father Ed Tobin was a basketball captain at the Conception Junction, Missouri high school. The brothers both attended Maryville High School which is 16 miles from Burlington Junction but the family thought their sports prospects would be much better in the much bigger school (they commuted to the school).[1] The brothers, who were two years apart in age, played on the football teams at the same time both in Maryville and at the University of Missouri football team. Bill played on the 1959 Maryville basketball team that was undefeated until losing the State Class M title game.[2]

Tobin attended the

backfield next to quarterback Jim Johnson.[3]

Career

During his time with the Indianapolis Colts, he drafted future Hall of Famers

offensive line.[3] He also built a team in Indianapolis with Jim Harbaugh, who in 1995 led the NFL in passing[5] and had a very successful run in the 1995 NFL playoffs, including the first playoff win for the Colts since Super Bowl V, a span of thirty years.[3] He also drafted Pro Bowl defensive backs Ray Buchanan and Ashley Ambrose.[3]
Tobin was replaced as Colts general manager in 1997 by Bill Polian.[6] Tobin is the brother of former NFL coach Vince Tobin.[7]

Tobin worked as a scout for the Cincinnati Bengals. His son, Duke Tobin, is the team's director of player personnel.[8]

Mel Kiper incident

While general manager of the Indianapolis Colts, Tobin gained some notoriety during the television broadcast of the

1994 NFL Draft after being criticized by ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. for picking Nebraska linebacker Trev Alberts with the fifth pick in the draft, instead of Fresno State quarterback Trent Dilfer
. While being interviewed by ESPN later in the broadcast, Tobin famously said "Who in the hell is Mel Kiper anyway?!"[9] Tobin later called a press conference where he ranted about Kiper for several minutes, stating that Kiper had been biased against the Colts ever since they moved from Baltimore, Kiper's home.[10]

Death

Tobin died on April 19, 2024, at the age of 83.[11][12]

References

  1. ^ "Tobin's roots: Hard work, small-town values key to life of new Cardinals boss". The Arizona Republic. February 11, 1996. p. 17. Retrieved April 10, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. The Maryville Daily Forum
    . March 7, 1959. p. 3. Retrieved April 10, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b c d "Bill Tobin". Phi Delta Theta Museum. July 25, 2016. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
  4. ^ Mentz, Zach (April 22, 2024). "Longtime NFL executive dies at 83". cleveland. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
  5. ^ "ALMOST A SURROGATE". Colts.com. February 1, 2013. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
  6. ^ "Former Colts GM Bill Tobin dies at 83". wthr.com. April 23, 2024. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
  7. ^ "Longtime NFL executive Bill Tobin dies at 83". Yahoo Sports. April 19, 2024. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
  8. ^ "father, like son". Archived from the original on November 6, 2014. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  9. ^ ESPN.com - 18 years of draft memories
  10. YouTube
  11. ^ "Bengals Mourn The Passing of Bill Tobin". bengals.com. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  12. ^ "'He was a true NFL success story': Longtime Bengals player personnel executive passes away". WKRC-TV. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
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