Legendary NFL GM, Cincinnati Bengals Executive Passes Away

After being the GM for the Bears from 1987 to 1992, Tobin went on to become the GM for the Colts from 1994 to 1996.

During the short period of time in which Tobin was the GM for the Colts, he was running the draft room when they selected future Pro Football Hall-of-Famers Marshall Faulk and Marvin Harrison.

Before becoming the GM for the Bears, he worked in the player personnel department. Tobin received a great deal of credit for building the 1985 Bears roster, which is widely considered to be one of the greatest teams in NFL history.

The 1985 Bears had such a good defense that it is now the reference point for all great defenses that have come after it. As soon as an elite defense pops up, comparisons to the 1985 Bears start rolling in.

NFL GM Bill Tobin gained notoriety for what he said about NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr.

While he was serving as the GM for Indianapolis in the 1994 NFL Draft, Tobin was criticized by ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr.

Kiper Jr. criticized Tobin for selecting Nebraska Cornhuskers linebacker Trev Alberts with the No. 5 overall pick in the draft when he could’ve taken Fresno State Bulldogs quarterback Trent Dilfer.

When he was interviewed by ESPN, Tobin notoriously said “Who in the hell is Mel Kiper anyway?” Tobin went on to rant on Kiper Jr. in a press conference later, arguing that he had a bias against the Colts for moving away from Baltimore which is where Kiper Jr. is from.

Support for NFL GM Bill Tobin poured out on social media

A great deal of support for the Tobin family and the Cincinnati Bengals poured out on social media upon the news of Tobin’s passing.

Even Cincinnati Bengals owner Mike Brown expressed what Tobin meant to him and the organization in an article on the Bengals’ website.

“He was a true NFL success story,” said Bengals President Mike Brown. “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.

“He’d come into my office and we had a talk every year just about this time,” Brown said. “He had his list of the guys in his area. I would talk with him not just about the players, but I would ask him about some others. He had a background that was a little special because both of us went back in time and we could talk about the old-time guys that we saw and the impressions they made with us and we could make comparisons to the guys of today. It was fun.”

Cincinnati Bengals director of college scouting Mike Potts explained in the same article how Tobin helped him improve at what he does.

“He taught me a lot. He taught a lot of scouts along the way. He’ll leave a lasting legacy,” said Bengals director of college scouting Mike Potts. “He did a lot of cross-checks on tape. There’s no more trusted eye in terms of evaluation. Not just with the Bengals, but I would say in the whole NFL. Just in the terms of his eye for talent.

“I can’t say enough good things about the guy and how he treated me as a mentor and a friend,” Potts said. “I learned a ton just being around him.”