William H. Tobin

• A devout family man of faith, Bill Tobin, passed away April 18, 2024, in Indianapolis. He stayed true to his hard-working roots as an architect of one of the greatest teams of all time. During his influential 50-year career in the NFL, Bill oversaw the drafting of eight Pro Football Hall of Famers.

  William Hugh Tobin, 83, lived his life centered on his faith, his family, and football. Bill’s journey began February 16, 1941, in Maryville, Missouri, where he was born to parents Thomas Edward and Nora Agnes (Ryan) Tobin. Bill was the sixth child in a family that would eventually have seven. Alongside his siblings, Bill was raised in faith on the family farm in Burlington Junction. It was here that he formed the values that shaped his life. Instilled in him were family bonds, loyalty, integrity and a powerful work ethic.

  A 1959 graduate of Maryville High School, Bill captained the football team and excelled as a student-athlete. His efforts earned him a scholarship to the University of Missouri. He lettered three years at running back and kicker and was the MVP of the 1962 Bluebonnet Bowl. In 1997, Bill was inducted into the University Missouri Athletics Hall of Fame and later in 2009, along with his younger brother Vince, he was enshrined as a member of the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame. It was at Mizzou that he met his bride of 59 years, Dusene Vunovich.

  After college graduation in 1963, Bill was called to active duty in the United States Army, serving for six months followed by six years in the Army Reserves. Bill, while still in the reserves, returned to football where he was a running back for the Houston Oilers and selected as the team’s Rookie of the Year in 1963. He completed his last seasons as a player with the Canadian Edmonton Eskimos and then the Florida Orlando Panthers.

  When his playing career ended, Bill became a graduate assistant at his alma mater while he earned his master's degree. From there, he was hired as the offensive backfield coach at Central Connecticut State.

  A call in 1971 from Packers head coach Dan Devine, Bill’s coach at Missouri, gave him his first NFL job with Green Bay as Director of Pro Scouting thus beginning his illustrious NFL career of 50 plus years. In 1975, Jim Finks hired him as Director of Pro Scouting for the Chicago Bears. By the time he left Chicago in 1992, he guided the franchise to six division titles and nine playoff berths as Director of Player Personnel and later Vice President of Personnel. Bill was instrumental in the building of the legendary 1985 Bears. He oversaw drafts that netted six Pro Football Hall-of-Famers, headlined by running back Walter Payton. Bill watched the Bears lose just one game on the way to winning the Super Bowl.
   

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.