Monte Kiffin, a defensive assistant for several years in the NFL, passed away on Thursday, July 11. The veteran coach was 84 years old at the time of his passing.
Kiffin was primarily a linebackers coach or defensive coordinator for eight different NFL teams: The Dallas Cowboys, Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers, Buffalo Bills, New York Jets, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New Orleans Saints, and Jacksonville Jaguars. Between college and The League, Monte Kiffin spent 52 years as a football coach.
His son, Lane Kiffin, followed in his father’s footsteps and would become a head coach at both the college and NFL levels. The younger Kiffin is currently the head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels. Monte Kiffin’s younger son Chris is also a coach. He’s currently the defensive coordinator for the Houston Texans.
Monte Kiffin Spent His Entire Life Involved in Football
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
Before his coaching career, Monte Kiffin played college football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers. He would be selected in the 15th round of the 1964 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings. However, he never made it off the practice squad in the Land of 1,000 Lakes.
Soon, he would make his way to the Canadian Football League, where he played for two seasons. He suited up for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 1965 and the Toronto Rifles in 1966, before wrapping up his playing career with the Brooklyn Dodgers of the Continental Football League – an obscure minor league based on the east coast – before moving on to a coaching career.
He returned to his alma mater, where he would work his way up the ladder to become the Nebraska Cornhuskers defensive coordinator. He then moved on to coach defense for Arkansas and North Carolina A&T, before making his way to the National Football League in 1983.
While in the NFL, he was part of the coaching staff of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2000, where he was instrumental in implementing the famed ‘Tampa 2’ defensive. Using his methods, the Bucs and head coach Jon Gruden would go on to win Super Bowl XXXVII. The franchise would bestow the ultimate honor on Kiffin by placing him in their Ring of Honor.
A Defensive Wizard & Beloved Figure
Congratulations to former #Vikings assistant coach Monte Kiffin on receiving the @ProFootballHOF's Awards of Excellence.
The honor was created in 2022 to recognize significant contributors to the game. pic.twitter.com/xBi3yuFeys
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) June 28, 2024
Many of Monte Kiffin’s former players have a deep fondness for him – particularly several from that Bucs’ championship squad. Hall of Fame linebacker Derrick Brooks discussed what it was like playing for the old ball coach.
“I think first of all when you think of Monte you think of his enthusiasm that he brings to the game every single day, even at his young age,” Brooks said recently, before Kiffin’s passing. “He brought it every day. It was about teaching, making sure from a defensive standpoint we understood the why behind everything that we did.”
Kiffin was particularly loved by the Ole Miss faithful, as he watched his son lead the Rebels on the field. In fact, it was the school that released the original statement about Mr. Kiffin’s passing. In it, they pass along a message from Kiffin’s grandson, Knox.
“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,” Ole Miss said in its statement.
But perhaps it’s best to sum up Monte Kiffin’s life with one of his sons, Lane’s quotes – something that describes his father and what he passed along to his sons, players, and fellow coaches.
“Surround yourself with people who inspire you to be better.”
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