Former Arizona Cardinals head coach Vince Tobin passes away at 79

Sad news hit the professional football world Monday morning as former Arizona Cardinals head coach Vince Tobin passed away at age 79.

Tobin coached the Cardinals from 1996 to 2000, most notably helping break the team’s 50-plus-year playoff victory drought with a 20-7 upset victory over the Dallas Cowboys in the 1998 wild-card round of the playoffs, marking the franchise’s first playoff win since 1947.

Tobin was hired in 1996 by Bill Bidwill, succeeding Buddy Ryan, and went 28-43 in his five seasons with the team.

“Our deepest condolences go out to everyone who knew and loved Vince Tobin, and in particular his wife Kathy and their family,” Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill said in a statement. “As head coach of the Cardinals, his steady leadership was a constant and a big part of the success the team enjoyed during his tenure. His football legacy with us is highlighted by the thrilling 1998 season, return to the postseason, and upset playoff win at Dallas. He will also be remembered for his instrumental role in key decisions like drafting Jake Plummer and Pat Tillman.”

“More than that, he was a consummate family man and always a class act who positively impacted everyone he encountered.”

The cause of death has not yet been revealed.

More on Vince Tobin

Tobin was a native of Burlington Junction, Missouri, playing his collegiate football at Missouri where he was a defensive back for the Tigers. He stayed in Columbia to start his coaching career, serving as a graduate assistant in 1965 for the Tigers before eventually taking over as the team’s defensive coordinator from 1971 to 1976.

He jumped to the professional ranks in 1977, becoming the defensive coordinator for the Canadian Football League’s BC Lions for six seasons before moving onto the USFL scene, where he served in the same role for the Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars for three seasons.

He made his NFL coaching debut in 1986 when he became the defensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears. He helped lead one of the league’s top-rated defenses in Chicago for seven seasons before becoming the defensive coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts in 1994.

He left Indianapolis for his first and only head coaching job of his career in Arizona, leading the team for four seasons until he was fired seven games into his fifth season after starting the season 2–5.

He’d make a stop with the Detroit Lions in 2001 as a defensive coordinator and with the Green Bay Packers in 2004 as a special assistant before putting an end to his coaching career.