Monte Kiffin, a defensive wizard who spent more than 50 years coaching in the NFL and collegiate ranks, died Thursday at age 84, Andrea Adelson of ESPN reports.
Kiffin, whose son Lane is the head coach at Ole Miss, was surrounded by family and friends. He had been a defensive analyst for his son's team since 2020.
"As his grandson Knox said, he's free of pain and smiling down on us from above," the school said in a post to X. "Please keep the Kiffin family in your thoughts and prayers during this time."
Kiffin spent 13 seasons as defensive coordinator with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. His work with Tony Dungy to build the vaunted "Tampa 2" scheme helped the Bucs win the Super Bowl in 2002 and was copied by several other teams around the league.
During Kiffin's tenure with Tampa Bay, its defense allowed the fewest points per game (17.5) while ranking second in both yards allowed per game (286.8) and total takeaways (293).
"That defense that Monte coordinated was the best unit that had ever played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Monte was the coordinator of it," former Bucs safety John Lynch told the team's website. "He became part of the fabric of the Tampa community; he was so beloved."
Three years ago, Kiffin became the first -- and only -- assistant coach in the Bucs' Ring of Honor at Raymond James Stadium.
The Glazer family, the owners of the Bucs, called Kiffin a "beloved and iconic member of the Buccaneers family."
"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 family said. "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."
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