Houston Oilers logo on the wall at the stadium.Houston Oilers logo. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images
A legendary Houston Oilers player has tragically taken his last breath on planet Earth.

On Friday, the Cincinnati Bengals announced that former Houston Oilers running back and player personnel executive Bill Tobin has passed away at the age of 83.

Tobin began working for the Cincinnati Bengals in 2003 as a scouting consultant and remained in the player personnel department until 2022. He had previously held the positions of director of player personnel with the Detroit Lions from 2001 to 2002, general manager of the Indianapolis Colts from 1994 to 1996, and general manager of the Chicago Bears from 1987 to 1992 before moving to Cincinnati.

“He was a true NFL success story,” said Bengals president Mike Brown in a press release, via Bengals.com. “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.”

At the moment, his son, Duke Tobin, is the current Cincinnati Bengals director of player personnel. He initially had a scheduled press conference on Friday about the upcoming NFL Draft next week, but that has since been canceled due to the death of his father.


Tobin was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the 14th round (189th overall) of the 1963 NFL Draft, but he never played a down for them.

Also Read: NFL Fans Had All Sorts Of Things To Say About Mel Kiper’s Hot Take On Top QB Draft Prospect Drake Maye

Tobin played 1 season for the Houston Oilers. He had 75 carries for 271 yards, 13 catches for 173 yards, and scored five touchdowns. From the Houston Oilers franchise, he would go on to play for two years with the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League, via Wikipedia.

Former Houston Oilers RB Bill Tobin Once Shredded Mel Kiper During The 1994 NFL Draft

Bill Tobin at the 1994 Draft
Bill Tobin, who played one year for the Houston Oilers, eventually took his talents to become the general manager of the Indianapolis Colts and he had a viral moment during the television broadcast of the 1994 NFL Draft after he lashed out at ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. after he was openly critical of him.