Vince Tobin
Encyclopedia
Vincent Michael Tobin (born September 29, 1943) is a longtime American football
coach and former head coach
of the Arizona Cardinals
. He is currently a special assistant to the Green Bay Packers
.
at the University of Missouri
, and entered the coaching ranks as a graduate assistant with the team in 1965. He was Missouri's defensive coordinator
from 1971 to 1976.
of the CFL
and for the Philadelphia / Baltimore Stars of the USFL
.
in 1986, one year following their legendary 1985 Superbowl winning season
. Tobin filled the role left by legendary defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan
, who had left the team to become the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles
. While the Bear's defensive unit ranked among the league's highest during his tenure, they never achieved the same dominance as they did in 1985, the teams one playoff win coming over Ryan's Eagles in 1988's Fog Bowl
. Following the 1992 firing of head coach Mike Ditka
, Tobin was released with the rest of the Bears coaching staff.
by his brother Bill Tobin
, the teams acting general manager
. He left the team following the 1995 season.
. The team lost the next week to the 1st-seeded Minnesota Vikings
. After 7 games into the 2000 season, Tobin was fired after posting a 2-5 record. His record in Arizona was 28-43, with a 1-1 post season record.
, where the club posted a 2-14 record. He was fired after 1 season.
in 2004 as a special assistant to the Green Bay Packers
.
. Bill was the general manager
of the Chicago Bears
and the Indianapolis Colts
. Vince served as the Colts defensive coordinator while Bill was general manager.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
coach and former head coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
of the Arizona Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. He is currently a special assistant to the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
.
College coaching career
Tobin was a defensive backDefensive back
In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
at the University of Missouri
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...
, and entered the coaching ranks as a graduate assistant with the team in 1965. He was Missouri's defensive coordinator
Defensive coordinator
A defensive coordinator typically refers to a coach on a gridiron football team who is in charge of the defense. Generally, along with his offensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...
from 1971 to 1976.
Pre-NFL coaching
He was the defensive coordinator for the BC LionsBC Lions
The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team competing in the West Division of Canadian Football League . Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, the Lions play their home games at BC Place Stadium in Downtown Vancouver, having previously played at Empire Stadium in East Vancouver from 1954...
of the CFL
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
and for the Philadelphia / Baltimore Stars of the USFL
United States Football League
The United States Football League was an American football league which was in active operation from 1983 to 1987. It played a spring/summer schedule in its first three seasons and a traditional autumn/winter schedule was set to commence before league operations ceased.The USFL was conceived in...
.
Chicago Bears
His first coaching job in NFL was as the defensive coordinator for the Chicago BearsChicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
in 1986, one year following their legendary 1985 Superbowl winning season
1985 Chicago Bears season
The 1985 Chicago Bears season was their 66th regular season and 16th post-season completed in the National Football League. The club posted a 15-1 record, earning them the top seed in the NFC for the playoffs. The Bears defeated their three post season opponents by a combined score of 91-10 en...
. Tobin filled the role left by legendary defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan
Buddy Ryan
James David "Buddy" Ryan is a former American NFL football coach.-Early years:Ryan was born and reared in a small, agricultural-based community "just outside of Frederick, Oklahoma." Ryan played college football for Oklahoma A&M University where he earned four letters as a guard between 1952 and...
, who had left the team to become the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. While the Bear's defensive unit ranked among the league's highest during his tenure, they never achieved the same dominance as they did in 1985, the teams one playoff win coming over Ryan's Eagles in 1988's Fog Bowl
Fog Bowl (American football)
In American football, the Fog Bowl was the name given to the December 31, 1988 National Football League playoff game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Chicago Bears. A heavy, dense fog rolled over Chicago's Soldier Field during the 2nd quarter, cutting visibility to about 10-20 yards for the...
. Following the 1992 firing of head coach Mike Ditka
Mike Ditka
Michael Keller Ditka, Jr. is a former American football NFL player, television commentator, and coach. Ditka coached the Chicago Bears for 11 years and New Orleans Saints for three years. Ditka and Tom Flores are the only two people to win Super Bowls as a player, an assistant coach, and a head...
, Tobin was released with the rest of the Bears coaching staff.
Indianapolis Colts
Tobin was hired in 1994 to be the defensive coordinator of the Indianapolis ColtsIndianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
by his brother Bill Tobin
Bill Tobin (American football)
Bill Tobin is a former professional American football player who played Running back for one season for the Houston Oilers. He would later become the general manager of the Chicago Bears and Indianapolis Colts...
, the teams acting general manager
General manager
General manager is a descriptive term for certain executives in a business operation. It is also a formal title held by some business executives, most commonly in the hospitality industry.-Generic usage:...
. He left the team following the 1995 season.
Arizona Cardinals
He was the head coach of the Cardinals in 1996. His one winning season and playoff berth as a head coach came in 1998 where the club posted a 9-7 record. He then coached the Cardinals to their first playoff win in 50 years during the 1998 season by defeating the 3rd-seeded Dallas CowboysDallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
. The team lost the next week to the 1st-seeded Minnesota Vikings
1998 Minnesota Vikings season
1998 was the 38th year of season play for the Minnesota Vikings and the 79th regular season of the National Football League.The 1998 Minnesota Vikings became only the third team in NFL history to win 15 games during the regular season. That year, the Vikings high powered offense scored 556 points...
. After 7 games into the 2000 season, Tobin was fired after posting a 2-5 record. His record in Arizona was 28-43, with a 1-1 post season record.
Detroit Lions
In 2001 Tobin was hired as the defensive coordinator for the Detroit LionsDetroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
, where the club posted a 2-14 record. He was fired after 1 season.
Green Bay Packers
He was hired by head coach Mike ShermanMike Sherman
Michael Francis "Mike" Sherman is the head coach of the Texas A&M Aggies football team. Prior to coaching the Aggies, he served as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers from the 2000–05 seasons. Sherman led the Packers to five consecutive winning seasons from 2000–04 and three divisional titles...
in 2004 as a special assistant to the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
.
Head Coaching Record
| Team | |Regular Season | ARZ 1996 Arizona Cardinals season The 1996 Arizona Cardinals season was the 77th season the team was in the league and 9th in Arizona. The team improved upon their previous output of 4-12, winning seven games. Despite the improvement, the Cardinals failed to qualify to the playoffs for the fourteenth consecutive... |
1996 1996 NFL season The 1996 NFL season was the 77th regular season of the National Football League and the season was marked by notable controversies from beginning to end... |
7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 4th in NFC East | - | - | - | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARZ 1997 Arizona Cardinals season The 1997 Arizona Cardinals season was the 78th season the franchise was in the National Football League and 10th in Arizona. The team was unable to match their previous output of 7-9, instead winning only four games. The Cardinals failed to qualify to the playoffs for the fifteenth consecutive... |
1997 1997 NFL season The 1997 NFL season was the 78th regular season of the National Football League. The Oilers relocated from Houston, Texas to Nashville, Tennessee... |
4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 5th in NFC East | - | - | - | |||
| ARZ 1998 Arizona Cardinals season The 1998 Arizona Cardinals season was the Cardinals 11th season in Arizona. The club appeared in the postseason for the first time since the 1982 season and won its first postseason game since 1947.... |
1998 1998 NFL season The 1998 NFL season was the 79th regular season of the National Football League.The Tennessee Oilers moved their home games from Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis to Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville, still awaiting construction on a new stadium in Nashville.This was the first season that CBS... |
9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 2nd in NFC East | 1 | 1 | .500 | Won Wild Card Round vs. DAL Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas... , Lost Divisional Round vs. MIN Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960... |
||
| ARZ 1999 Arizona Cardinals season The 1999 Arizona Cardinals season was the 80th season the team was in the National Football League and 12th in Arizona. The team was unable to match their previous output of 9-7, instead winning only six games. The Cardinals failed to return to the playoffs.... |
1999 1999 NFL season The 1999 NFL season was the 80th regular season of the National Football League. The Cleveland Browns returned to the field for the first time since the 1995 season... |
6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 4th in NFC East | - | - | - | - | ||
| ARZ 2000 Arizona Cardinals season The 2000 Arizona Cardinals season was the Cards' 13th season in Arizona. The Cardinals ranked 24th in the NFL in total offense and 30th in total defense... |
2000 2000 NFL season The 2000 NFL season was the 81st regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XXXV when the Baltimore Ravens defeated the New York Giants.Week 1 of the season reverted to Labor Day weekend in 2000... |
2 | 5 | 0 | .286 | 5th in NFC East | - | - | - | (fired) | ||
| Total | 28 | 43 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
Personal
Vince Tobin's brother is Bill TobinBill Tobin (American football)
Bill Tobin is a former professional American football player who played Running back for one season for the Houston Oilers. He would later become the general manager of the Chicago Bears and Indianapolis Colts...
. Bill was the general manager
General manager
General manager is a descriptive term for certain executives in a business operation. It is also a formal title held by some business executives, most commonly in the hospitality industry.-Generic usage:...
of the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
and the Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
. Vince served as the Colts defensive coordinator while Bill was general manager.
External links
- Biography at Packers.com
- Pro Football Reference – Cardinals statistics under Tobin