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Vince Tobin
Personal information
Date of birth (1943-09-29) September 29, 1943 (age 80)
Place of birth Burlington Junction, Missouri
Career information
Position(s) Head Coach
College University of Missouri
Head coaching record
Career record 28-43-0 (Regular Season)
1-1 (Postseason)
29-44-0 (Overall)
Stats
Coaching stats Pro Football Reference
Team(s) as a coach/administrator
1965

1971–1976

1977–1982

1983–1985

1986-1992

1994–1995

1996–2000

2001

2004–present
University of Missouri
(graduate assistant)
University of Missouri
(defensive coordinator)
BC Lions
(defensive coordinator)
Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars
(defensive coordinator)
Chicago Bears
(defensive coordinator)
Indianapolis Colts
(defensive coordinator)
Arizona Cardinals
(Head Coach)
Detroit Lions
(Defensive Coordinator)
Green Bay Packers
(Special Assistant)

Vincent Michael (Vince) 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.

College coaching career[]

Tobin was a defensive back 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.

Pre-NFL coaching[]

He was the defensive coordinator for the BC Lions of the CFL and for the Philadelphia / Baltimore Stars of the USFL.

NFL coaching[]

Chicago Bears[]

His first coaching job in NFL was as the defensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears in 1986, one year following their legendary 1985 Super Bowl 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.

Indianapolis Colts[]

Tobin was hired in 1994 to be the defensive coordinator of the Indianapolis Colts by his brother Bill Tobin, the teams acting general manager. 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 Cowboys. 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.

Detroit Lions[]

In 2001 Tobin was hired as the defensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions, where the club posted a 2-14 record. He was fired after 1 season.

Green Bay Packers[]

He was hired by head coach Mike Sherman in 2004 as a special assistant to the Green Bay Packers.

Head Coaching Record[]

Team Year Regular Season Post Season
Won Lost Ties Win % Finish Won Lost Win % Result
ARZ 1996 7 9 0 .438 4th in NFC East - - -
ARZ 1997 4 12 0 .250 5th in NFC East - - -
ARZ 1998 9 7 0 .563 2nd in NFC East 1 1 .500 Won Wild Card Round vs. DAL, Lost Divisional Round vs. MIN
ARZ 1999 6 10 0 .375 4th in NFC East - - - -
ARZ 2000 2 5 0 .286 5th in NFC East - - - (fired)
Total 28 43 0 .394 1 1

Personal[]

Vince Tobin's brother is Bill Tobin. 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.

External links[]

Sporting positions
Preceded by
Buddy Ryan
Chicago Bears Defensive Coordinators
1986-1992
Succeeded by
Bob Slowik
Preceded by
Rick Venturi
Indianapolis Colts Defensive Coordinators
1994-1995
Succeeded by
Jim Johnson
Preceded by
Larry Peccatiello
Detroit Lions Defensive Coordinators
2001
Succeeded by
Kurt Schottenheimer
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