University of Missouri Athletics

A longtime fixture in the Mizzou football program as both a standout player and successful coach, Vince Tobin went on to become a head coach in the National Football League. He was a two-year starter in the defensive backfield, and ball-hawked his way to six career interceptions while playing on some of MU’s best teams under Coach Dan Devine. In his three years on varsity (1962-64) Mizzou went 8-1-2 in 1962, 7-3 in 1963 and 6-3-1 in 1964, and finished each season ranked nationally at 12th, 16th and 18th, respectively. Tobin returned punts during his career, and played some halfback on offense, and threw a touchdown pass to Johnny Roland on his first varsity play from scrimmage, at California, in 1962. He later served as an assistant coach at MU from 1965 through 1976. He coached defensive ends from 1967-70 under Devine and helped guide the Tigers to huge seasons in 1968 and 1969, when the Tigers finished ranked 9th and 6th, respectively, in the national polls. He stayed on as an assistant for Al Onofrio when Devine left for the NFL and coached the linebackers and called plays for the defense. He stayed with Onofrio through 1976 and helped MU gain some of the biggest wins in school history, including road wins at Notre Dame, USC, Ohio State, Alabama, Nebraska and in the Sun Bowl over Auburn. He moved on to professional football prior to the 1977 season, and after spending six years as the defensive coordinator for the British Columbia Lions of the Canadian Football League, embarked on a stellar NFL coaching career, where he spent 16 years, including five years as head coach of the Arizona Cardinals (1996-2000). He took Arizona to the 1998 NFC Playoffs, ending the league’s longest playoff drought, and recorded the franchise’s first playoff win since 1947 – a 20-7 victory at Dallas. He was the defensive coordinator with the Chicago Bears (1986-92), Indianapolis Colts (1994-95) and the Detroit Lions (2001). He was a special assistant with the Green Bay Packers in 2004. He and his brother Bill were inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2009.