Long-time NFL assistant coach Monte Kiffin, whose Tampa Bay Buccaneers defenses consistently ranked amongst the league’s finest, passedaway Thursday. He was 84.
One of the designers of the ultra effective Tampa 2 defensive plan, Kiffin invested 13 seasons as defensive planner of the Bucs under previous coaches Tony Dungy and Jon Gruden from 1996 to 2008 and assisted the franchise win the veryfirst of its 2 Super Bowl titles.
The Ole Miss football program revealed on the social media platform X that Kiffin, when the head coach at North Carolina State, passedaway surrounded by household and buddies in Oxford, Mississippi, where Kiffin’s kid, Lane, is coach of the Rebels.
“As a coach, Monte was a real innovator who got the finest out of his gamers and assisted produce one of the signature defenses of the early 2000s,” the Glazer household, which owns the Buccaneers and inducted Kiffin into the group’s Ring of Honor 3 years ago, stated in a declaration.
“His enthusiastic and energetic management design resonated with all his gamers, and he was important in our veryfirst Super Bowl win and the success of Hall of Famers such as Warren Sapp, Derrick Brooks, John Lynch and Ronde Barber,” the Glazers included. “Off the field, Monte was kind, authentic, thoughtful and constantly had a favorable mindset. He was really unique to the Buccaneers company and our household.”
Sapp was voted NFL protective gamer of the year in 1999 and Brooks made the honor in 2002, when Tampa Bay had the league’s top-ranked defense and controlled the Oakland Raiders in the Super Bowl.
During his stint with the Bucs, Tampa Bay’s defense led the NFL in least points permitted per videogame (17.5), ranked 2nd in takeaways (293) and backyards enabled per videogame (286.8), 3rd in interceptions (249) and 10th in sacks (503).
With Brooks, Sapp, Lynch, Barber and Simeon Rice leading the method, the 2002 Bucs defense endedupbeing the veryfirst system consideringthat the 1985 Super Bowl-winning Chicago Bears to lead the league in least points enabled (196), backyards permitted per videogame (252.8) and interceptions (31) in the exactsame season.
In a profession that covered more than 5 years, Kiffin likewise worked as an NFL assistant for the Green Bay Packers, Buffalo Bills, Minnesota Vikings, New York Jets, New Orleans Saints and Dallas Cowboys.
After leaving the Bucs, he primarily worked for boy, Lane, in college stops at Tennessee, USC, Florida Atlantic and Ole Miss.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
Get more from National Football League Follow your favorites to get info about videogames, news and more