The greatest defense in Buccaneers lore has lost the man who implemented it to masterful form.
Longtime Tampa Bay defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin died Thursday in Oxford, Mississippi. Kiffin, 84, had been serving as an analyst for his son, Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin. A post on the Rebels’ official X account indicated he passed away peacefully surrounded by his family and friends.
“Monte Kiffin was a beloved and iconic member of the Buccaneers family, and our entire organization mourns his loss today,” the Glazer family, which owns the Bucs, said a in statement released Thursday evening.
“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. 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.”
A football lifer with an animated presence and high-pitched sideline yelp, Kiffin’s career spanned nearly 60 years and included stops at seven colleges and eight NFL teams. He earned his greatest acclaim for molding the Cover 2 scheme that former Bucs coach Tony Dungy brought from Pittsburgh and developing it into the Tampa 2 system that led the 2002 Bucs to a 12-4 record and Super Bowl 37 title.
That unit featured Sapp, Brooks, Lynch and Barber, and still owns the franchise record for fewest points allowed (196) in a 16-game regular season and lowest completion percentage allowed (50.8%), and ranks second in interceptions (31).
“My first experience with Monte was on my 18th birthday,” said Dungy, who hired Kiffin as his coordinator upon taking the Tampa Bay job in 1996. “We were playing Nebraska (where Kiffin was defensive coordinator), and they were No. 3 or 4 in the country. Our starting quarterback (at Minnesota) got hurt. I started that game, and they crushed us (48-7). I learned about the Monte Kiffin defense first-hand. That was my 18th birthday present.”
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Explore all your optionsDuring his 13-season Tampa Bay tenure, Kiffin’s units ranked in the top 10 in yards allowed 11 times and in points allowed 12 times. In that same stretch, the Bucs led the league in points allowed per game (17.5), ranked second in takeaways (293) and yards allowed per game (286.8), third in interceptions (249), and 10th in total sacks (503).
“I came to Minnesota (as defensive coordinator in 1992), and he’s there already (as linebackers coach) on Denny Green’s staff,” Dungy recalled.
“We’re sitting down trying to see how we could put this defense together. I showed him how we did it in Pittsburgh and what we had done there. He was very, very sharp. He hadn’t had much experience with the Cover 2, and I hadn’t had much experience with one gap front. We talked and realized this could be fun. The next year, we led the NFL in defense.”
Kiffin was inducted into the Bucs’ Ring of Honor in 2021, and in March received the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Award of Excellence, which recognizes significant contributions to the game by those outside the ranks of players and head coaches.
“I love that man and am so indebted to him,” said Lynch, now 49ers general manager.’'
“Monte had a unique enthusiasm for life, football and family. He also had a passion for coaching, and helping people like myself become the best version of themselves. He was a great listener, he listened to his players. He knew I played best when I got involved in the game early, so he tried to blitz me in every first series of a game.”
Kiffin’s career with the Bucs spanned the tenures of Dungy and predecessor Jon Gruden. After Gruden’s dismissal following the 2008 season, Kiffin left to become defensive coordinator for Lane Kiffin at Tennessee.
His survivors include wife Robin, sons Lane and Chris, and daughter Heidi.
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