Innovative Former NFL Coordinator Monte Kiffin Dead At 84

Longtime former NFL defensive coordinator and Super Bowl champion Monte Kiffin, the father of Ole Miss Rebels head football coach Lane Kiffin and defensive line coach Chris Kiffin, has died at the age of 84, the Ole Miss football team announced on its social media accounts Thursday (July 11).

"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," the team said.

Lane Kiffin shared photos of himself as a child with his father on Thursday with the caption, "My Hero."

Monte Kiffin is credited as one of the architects of the 'Tampa 2' defensive scheme while working as a defensive coordinator under Hall of Fame head coach Tony Dungy during his tenure with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which included winning Super Bowl XXXVII.

Kiffin spent 13 of his 16 NFL seasons as the Bucs' defensive coordinator from 1996 to 2008, having previously held the same position with the Minnesota Vikings (1992-94) and New Orleans Saints (1995) and later the Dallas Cowboys (2013). The veteran defensive coach also worked on his son's college football coaching staffs, which included serving as defensive coordinator at Tennessee (2009), assistant head coach at USC (2010-12), defensive assistant at Florida Atlantic (2017-19) and player personnel analyst at Ole Miss (2020-23).