OXFORD ― Monte Kiffin, a longtime faculty and NFL coach and the daddy of Ole Miss soccer coach Lane Kiffin, died on Thursday on the age of 84, in accordance with an announcement issued by the Rebels program.
Kiffin spent his last years working for his son in Oxford, most not too long ago as an analyst. He first started teaching soccer in 1966 at Nebraska, his alma mater. Kiffin grew to become one of many recreation’s most revered defensive minds, working at seven universities and for seven NFL organizations throughout his profession.
Working the well-known and extensively imitated “Tampa 2” protection, Kiffin helped the Buccanneers win Tremendous Bowl XXXVII because the crew’s defensive coordinator. The Bucs had the league’s prime protection that season, permitting simply 12.3 factors per recreation on the way in which to the title.
The group inducted Kiffin into its Ring of Honor in 2021.
“It’s not simply he succeeded with the expertise, however I believe the expertise succeeded largely due to him,” Professional Soccer Corridor of Fame defensive again Ronde Barber advised the Tampa Bay Instances. “Definitely, that was the case for me. I give all my credit score to him for placing me in positions to have the profession I had. And it wasn’t as if Monte was doing genius, revolutionary issues. It was the way in which he approached teaching us with this perspective that if all of us simply did our job, the straightforward issues, we’ll succeed.”
When Lane arrived at Tennessee for one season in 2009, Monte adopted, doing the identical at Southern Cal, FAU and ultimately Ole Miss.
Lane has typically mentioned he strives to stick to his father’s rules.
“I attempt to be extra like him yearly,” he mentioned final yr. “I believe he’s an incredible particular person on the subject of relationships with the opposite coaches and gamers and growing them off the sphere. I simply know all the former gamers that I do know, the way in which that they discuss him.
“He’s left a legacy and touched lots of people, so I actually attempt to work on that and I’ve obtained an extended option to go.”
Monte is survived by his spouse, Robin, and his youngsters, Heidi, Chris and Lane.
David Eckert covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Electronic mail him at deckert@gannett.com or attain him on Twitter @davideckert98.
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