Bill then went to Indianapolis in 1994 to rebuild the Colts. One year later he had them in the AFC Championship Game. Leading Indy was quarterback Jim Harbaugh, one of Bill’s first-round picks with the Bears. During his Colts tenure, Bill drafted two more Pro Football Hall of Famers in running back Marshall Faulk and wide receiver Marvin Harrison.
After spending three years with the Colts, Bill became the Player Personnel Director for the Detroit Lions. In 2003, he joined his son, Duke. As a member of the scouting staff Bill supported Duke while he rose to the Cincinnati Bengals Director of Player Personnel. During this time, the Bengals won 4 AFC North titles and the 2021 AFC crown.
Bill became a mentor for a young scouting staff; "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."
Bill was also a trusted adviser to the team owner. “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."
For 25 years, while Bill and Vince were in the NFL they went back home to run the annual Tobin Benefit Golf Classic. It was a venture that raised thousands of dollars for medical equipment and services at St. Francis Hospital, now Mosaic Medical Center. The brothers never forgot their hometown roots.
Bill is preceded in death by his parents and brothers Paul (Melba), Al, and Vince, sister Louise Madden (Jim), and brother-in-law Bill Hackett.
He is survived by his loving wife of 59 years Dusene (Vunovich); children, Laurie (Reik) Andersen, Kerry (Keith) Greiwe, and Duke (Sharon) Tobin; sisters, Teresa Hackett and Kathleen (Tom) Dolph; and sister-in-laws Katy Tobin and Kathy Tobin; grandchildren, Brock, Quade, Rhett, Duke Jr., Seena, Layne, Lance, Will, Koryn, and Bo.
Friends and Family will gather on Tuesday April 30, from 4 - 7 p.m. at O’Riley – Branson Funeral Service & Crematory, 6107 S. East St., Indianapolis. The evening will conclude with prayer service at 7 p.m. The prayer service will be livestreamed: Bill Tobin Prayer Service. The Mass of Christian Burial will be at 11:00 a.m., Wednesday, May 1, 2024, at St. Barnabas Catholic Church, 8300 Rahke Rd., Indianapolis. The Mass will be livestreamed: Bill Tobin Mass. Entombment will follow at Calvary Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions are strongly encouraged to the Freestore Foodbank, 3401 Rosenthal Way, Cincinnati, OH 45204, (513-482-4500), or the Mosaic Medical Center, 2016 South Main Street, Maryville, MO 64468, (660-562-2600). Visit www.ORileyBranson.com to share a favorite memory or to sign the online guest registry.
Tuesday, April 30, 2024
4:00 - 7:00 pm (Eastern time)
O’Riley - Branson Funeral Service & Crematory
Tuesday, April 30, 2024
7:00 - 8:00 pm (Eastern time)
O’Riley - Branson Funeral Service & Crematory
Wednesday, May 1, 2024
Starts at 11:00 am (Eastern time)
St. Barnabas Catholic Church
8300 Rahke Rd., Indianapolis, IN 46217, Indianapolis, IN 46217
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