Monte Kiffin, longtime defensive coordinator in NFL and NCAA, dies at 84

August 20, 2024

Monte Kiffin, a legendary defensive coordinator who coached in the NFL and college football for more than 50 years, died Thursday at age 84, Ole Miss said on social media.

Kiffin, who spent 13 seasons on the coaching staff of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and had been a defensive analyst at the University of Mississippi alongside his son, Coach Lane Kiffin, since 2020, was surrounded by family in Oxford, Miss., at the time of his death, according to the statement from Ole Miss.

“As his grandson Knox said, he’s free of pain and smiling down on us from above,” the statement said. “Please keep the Kiffin family in your thoughts and prayers during this time.”

Posting a tribute on X, Lane Kiffin referred to his father as “my hero.”

Monte Kiffin revamped Tampa Bay’s defense during his tenure, helping build it into one of the NFL’s best units before winning the 2003 Super Bowl.

“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,” the Glazer family, which owns the Buccaneers, said in a statement. “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.”

Kiffin also briefly served as a linebackers coach with the Green Bay Packers before working as a coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys, Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints over the course of his NFL career.

Kiffin received the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Award of Excellence in March, giving players and coaches who worked with him a chance to recount his contributions.

“When you think of Monte, you think of his enthusiasm that he brings to the game every single day, even at his young age,” said Derrick Brooks, who won defensive player of the year with the Buccaneers in 2002. “He brought it every day. It was about teaching, making sure from a defensive standpoint we understood the why behind everything that we did.”

Before working in the NFL, Kiffin made a name for himself in college football as an energetic leader and strategic wizard. He started his coaching career at Nebraska in 1966 before working as a coordinator at Arkansas, Tennessee, USC, Florida Atlantic and Ole Miss. He went 16-17 at N.C. State during his only stint as a head coach from 1980 to 1982.

Later in his career, he regularly worked as a defensive coordinator or analyst alongside Lane. His other son, Chris, has been an assistant coach in the NFL and NCAA. Kiffin also is survived by his wife, Robin, and daughter, Heidi.

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