Monte Kiffin has died – dead at 84

Jul 14, 2021; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers former defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin is entered into the Tampa Bay Buccaneers-Ring of Honor at AdventHealth Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Longtime NFL defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin has died at the age of 84, it was announced on Thursday.

Kiffin, the father of Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin, died peacefully in Oxford on Thursday while surrounded by family and friends.

Monte Kiffin, 84, peacefully passed away today in Oxford surrounded by family and friends. As his grandson Knox said, he’s free of pain and smiling down on us from above.

Please keep the Kiffin family in your thoughts and prayers during this time. pic.twitter.com/eM1HT2lGHx

— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) July 11, 2024

Kiffin is regarded as one of the most influential defensive coordinators in football history. He is credited with inventing the Tampa 2 defensive scheme during his 13-year stint as the Buccaneers’ defensive coordinator between 1996 and 2008. He was the team’s defensive coordinator for their Super Bowl XXXVII victory in 2003 as well.

In later years, he followed his son Lane to various jobs, including stints as an assistant at Tennessee and USC. His final defensive coordinator job was in 2013 with the Dallas Cowboys, and in his final years he served as a defensive assistant to Lane at both Florida Atlantic and Ole Miss. He was still very much involved with the program in recent years despite his advanced age.

Kiffin’s two sons both became football coaches as well. In addition to Lane, he is survived by his other son Chris, who most recently worked as the Houston Texans’ linebackers coach in 2023.