Monte Kiffin dies at 84: Longtime NFL, college coach was mastermind behind ‘Tampa 2’ defense

Monte Kiffin, the longtime defensive coordinator at both the NFL and college levels who became the innovator behind the renowned “Tampa 2” defense, died Wednesday at age 84. The father of Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin, the elder Kiffin’s coaching career stretched back to 1966 when he started as a graduate assistant at Nebraska. He was most recently a player personnel analyst for the Rebels. 

“As his grandson Knox said, he’s free of pain and smiling down on us from above,” a social media statement from the university said. “Please keep the Kiffin family in your thoughts and prayers during this time.” 

Kiffin’s “Tampa 2” defense was a variant of Tony Dungy’s “Cover 2” that helped the Tampa Bay Buccaneers win Super Bowl XXXVII. The 2002 Buccaneers’ defense is regarded as one of the NFL’s all-time great units. Against the Raiders in that year’s Super Bowl, Tampa’s defense picked off then-NFL MVP Rich Gannon five times, returning three for scores. The Buccaneers’ defense featured future Hall of Famers Warren Sapp, Derrick Brooks, John Lynch and Ronde Barber. 

Along with coaching future Hall of Famers, Kiffin was involved in the hiring of six former assistant coaches who would eventually become NFL head coaches. That list includes current Steelers coach Mike Tomlin and Falcons first-year head coach Raheem Morris. Tomlin was 29 years old when Kiffin and Co. gave him his first NFL opportunity as the Buccaneers’ defensive backs coach. 

“We interviewed 15, 16 guys for the secondary job,” Kiffin once said about hiring Tomlin. “Then we heard about a young guy at the University of Cincinnati by the name of Mike Tomlin. Rick Minter was the head coach. I had worked with him. I said, ‘I heard you have a young coach who is under the radar.’ He said, ‘How did you hear about him?’ I said, ‘I’ve been snooping around.’ 

“So I called Mike, and I said, ‘This is Coach Kiffin from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.’ He didn’t believe it was me. He was outstanding in the interview. I took him out on the field. I call it the ‘it factor.’ Some guys just have it. You can feel it. Mike was 29 at the time.”

Kiffin worked with numerous NFL and college teams as an assistant coach, mostly coaching linebackers and serving as defensive coordinator. He also served as the coach at NC State from 1980-1982, where he compiled a 16-17 record. 

Earlier this year, Kiffin was honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame through their Awards for Excellence program, which recognizes those who have made significant contributions to the game. 

In addition to Lane, Monte’s youngest son Chris also followed his father in the coaching profession and currently serves as the linebackers coach for the Houston Texans.