Monte Kiffin, distinguished defensive coach and father of Ole Miss’ Lane Kiffin, dies at 84

Kiffin spent his final years working for his son in Oxford, most recently as an analyst. He first began coaching football in 1966 at his alma mater, Nebraska. Kiffin became one of the game’s most respected defensive minds, working at seven universities and for seven NFL organizations over the course of his career.

Running the famous and widely imitated “Tampa 2” defense, Kiffin helped the Buccanneers win Super Bowl XXXVII as the team’s defensive coordinator. The Bucs were the league’s top defense that season, allowing just 12.3 points per game on the way to the title.

The organization inducted Kiffin into its Ring of Honor in 2021.

“It’s not just he succeeded with the talent, but I think the talent succeeded mostly because of him,” Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive back Ronde Barber told the Tampa Bay Times. “Certainly, that was the case for me. I give all my credit to him for putting me in positions to have the career I had. And it wasn’t as if Monte was doing genius, revolutionary things. It was the way he approached coaching us with this attitude that if we all just did our job, the simple things, we’ll succeed.”