Former NFL player and general manager Bill Tobin has passed away at the age of 83.
Tobin played briefly in the NFL for the Houston Oilers as a running back in 1964 and would later become general manager of the Chicago Bears from 1987 to 1992 and the Indianapolis Colts from 1994 to 1996.
While with the Colts, Tobin was responsible for drafting future Hall of Famers Marvin Harrison and Marshall Faulk.
He was replaced by Bill Polian in 1997 and his last role in the NFL was with the Detroit Lions as their Director of Player Personnel from 2001 to 2002.
RELATED: Pat McAfee Fights Back Tears Talking About Death Of Former Indianapolis Colts Teammate Vontae Davis
Bill Tobin has strong family ties to the NFL as his brother Vince was the former head coach of the Arizona Cardinals from 1996 to 2000 and his son, Duke, has been the Director of Player Personnel for the Cincinnati Bengals since 1999 and serves as their de facto general manager.
However, Bill Tobin will always be best remembered for his legendary rant about ESPN NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. during the 1994 NFL draft.
The clip has resurfaced following his passing just a week before the 2024 NFL draft which will mark the 30th anniversary of the legendary rant.
Here’s the clip from an interview with the late Chris Mortensen.
“Very sad news: Legendary #NFL GM Bill Tobin has passed away. He was 83-years old and the proud father of #Bengals facto GM Duke Tobin. One of the GREAT MOMENTS IN HIS CAREER was his rant on draft night: “WHO THE HELL IS MEL KIPER ANYWAY””
The rant stemmed from Kiper criticizing the Colts for drafting Nebraska linebacker Trev Alberts with the fifth overall pick instead of Fresno State quarterback Trent Dilfer.
While Alberts only had a two-year career in the NFL and Dilfer would be considered the much better selection as a Super Bowl-winning quarterback who played in the NFL from 1994 to 207.
However, history could have been very different if the Colts had decided to draft Dilfer as it was in 1998 when they made Peyton Manning the first overall selection which worked out just fine for the Colts.
