Bill Tobin, a former NFL running back and longtime executive, has died at the age of 83, the Cincinnati Bengals confirmed on Friday. Tobin's career in the NFL spanned over five decades and culminated with him working as a mentor to the Bengals personnel depart where his son Duke has been working since 1999.
"He was a true NFL success story," said Bengals president Mike Brown, via the official team website. "He was a good person and I considered him a good friend. With Bill, I respected everything he said. I just took it as a given. He had an eye for players and what they would develop into. If he said the guy was a good player, then he was a good player; that's all I would need to know. We will miss him."
Tobin was born on a farm near Burlington Junction, Missouri, in 1941. He eventually played his college ball at the University of Missouri where he worked out the backfield as a tailback. In 1963, Tobin was drafted by the Houston Oilers. He'd then go on to play two seasons in the CFL for the Edmonton Eskimos.
While he was initiated into the NFL as a player, Tobin truly made his mark as an executive. As part of the Bears, Colts and Lions front office over a 27-year stretch, Tobin drafted eight Pro Football Hall of Famers, including Marshall Faulk and Marvin Harrison. He also had quarterback (now coach) Jim Harbaugh in 1987 when he was with the Chicago Bears and then signed the veteran in 1994 as a member of the Indianapolis Colts. In 1995, Tobin's Colts reached the AFC Championship with Harbaugh putting together a career year where he led the league in passer rating.
Tobin is also known for one of the more infamous quotes in NFL Draft history when he said, "Who is Mel Kiper anyway?" during the television broadcast of the 1994 draft. Tobin also ranted against the ESPN analyst in a later press conference as he was critical of the franchise's selections.
More recently, Tobin has been with the Bengals organization, originally joining the franchise before the 2003 NFL Draft as an area scout under his son Duke. Tobin has an impact on Cincinnati's roster that stretches as far as present day with him serving as, what the team called, "a national cross-checker and a comforting sounding board into the decade of Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase."
Tobin's brother, Vince, who also had a long and decorated career in the NFL, died last summer at the age of 79.
