Former Arizona Cardinals head coach Vince Tobin dies at 79
Tobin led the franchise to its first playoff win in 51 years
Former Arizona Cardinals head coach Vince Tobin died Monday morning at his home in Arizona. He was 79 years old.
Tobin, who began his NFL coaching career by replacing Buddy Ryan as the Chicago Bears' defensive coordinator in 1986, was hired by the Cardinals in 1996 to again succeed Ryan.
While Tobin's Cardinals teams went just 28-43 across parts of five seasons, he holds an important place in franchise history, having led the Cardinals to their first playoff win in 51 years during the 1998-99 playoffs.
After squeaking out victories in their final three regular season games to qualify for the playoffs, the Cardinals, on the backs of second-year quarterback Jake Plummer and an emerging defense, upset the Dallas Cowboys 20-7 in the wild-card round. Arizona would lose to the Minnesota Vikings a week later, but the win over the Cowboys remains an iconic moment.
"Our deepest condolences go out to everyone who knew and loved Vince Tobin, and in particular his wife Kathy and their family," Cardinals team 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."
Plummer, who began his career under Tobin, took to Twitter to thank his former coach for the impact he had on his career.
Coach Tobin gave me my 1st opp 2 lead a group of men&I’ll b 4ever grateful 4 the confidence he instilled n me then & blessed daily by those lessons as I pursue life,❤️purpose&happiness. RIP coach Tobin! I get knocked down, but I get up again, nothings ever going to keep me down. https://t.co/Kaj8i6KiwC
— Jake Plummer (@snakestakes) July 3, 2023
Tobin would ultimately be fired by Arizona midway through the 2000 season after a 2-5 start. He went on to spend a season as the Detroit Lions' defensive coordinator in 2001 and a year as a special assistant with the Green Bay Packers in 2004 before retiring.
