Monte Kiffin, a defensive magician who spent more than 50 years coaching in the NFL and college divisions, died on Thursday at the age of 84, according to Ole Miss.
There were many friends and relatives in attendance, including Lane Kiffin, whose father is the head coach at Ole Miss. He started working with his son’s squad in 2020 as a defensive analyst.
“As his grandson Knox said, he’s free of pain and smiling down on us from above,” the school said in a tribute for X. “Please keep the Kiffin family in your thoughts and prayers during this time.”
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers used Kiffin for 13 years as their defensive coordinator. Several other teams in the league mimicked his work with Tony Dungy to create the infamous “Tampa 2” system, which contributed to the 2002 Super Bowl victory for the Buccaneers.
Under Kiffin’s watch, Tampa Bay’s defense ranked second in the NFL in yards allowed per game (286.8) and total takeaways (293), while allowing the fewest points per game (17.5).
“That defense that Monte coordinated was the best unit that had ever played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Monte was the coordinator of it,” the team’s website quoted former Bucs safety John Lynch as saying. “He became part of the fabric of the Tampa community; he was so beloved.”
Three years ago, Kiffin made history at Raymond James Stadium as the first assistant coach to be inducted into the Bucs’ Ring of Honor.
Among the Buccaneers’ owners, the Glazer family, Kiffin was hailed as a “beloved and iconic member of the family.”
“As a coach, Monte was a true innovator who got the best out of his players and helped create one of the signature defenses of the early 2000s,” according to the family. “His passionate and energetic leadership style resonated with all his players, and he was instrumental in our first Super Bowl win and the success of Hall of Famers such as Warren Sapp, Derrick Brooks, John Lynch, and Ronde Barber.”
Among Kiffin’s 25-year NFL career highlights include stints as offensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys, New Orleans Saints, and Minnesota Vikings.
He was presented with an Award for Excellence in March by the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
After a successful playing career, Kiffin joined the Nebraska Cornhuskers as a graduate assistant in 1966, where he worked under the tutelage of Hall of Famers Bob Devaney and Tom Osborne. In 1970, he took a position as defensive coordinator at Nebraska, and four years later, he was head coach at North Carolina State from 1980 to 1982. During his lone tenure as head coach, Kiffin oversaw a 16-17 record in three seasons.
After that, in 1983, he became the Green Bay Packers’ linebackers coach in the National Football League.
The majority of Monte Kiffin’s latter years were devoted to working under Lane Kiffin. From 2009 to 2012, he was at USC as a defensive coordinator, and since Lane became head coach in 2020, he has been at FAU and Ole Miss as a defensive analyst.
Earlier Thursday, Lane shared images of himself as a youngster with his father on X captioned “My hero.”
Chris, the second son of Monte Kiffin, has coached in the NFL and for the Rebels. Heidi is one of Monte’s daughters from his marriage to Robin.
What is the Tampa 2 defense?
The Tampa 2 is a 4-3 defense that allows the middle linebacker to drop into deep coverage if they read a pass play. That linebacker was Derrick Brooks for most of Kiffin’s career, and the combination led the Bucs to several playoff berths and a Super Bowl victory in 2002.
