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Nebraska Football Legend, Lexington Native Monte Kiffin Passes at 84

The former Nebraska player and assistant coach etched a historic role in the NFL and college football.

Austin Jacobsen

Jul 14, 2021; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers former defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin is entered into the Tampa Bay Buccaneers-Ring of Honor at AdventHealth Training Center.
Jul 14, 2021; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers former defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin is entered into the Tampa Bay Buccaneers-Ring of Honor at AdventHealth Training Center. / Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
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Monte Kiffin, the legendary creator of the "Tampa 2" defense and a former Nebraska football player and assistant coach, has died at the age of 84.

Ole Miss announced Kiffin's death Thursday, adding that he was surrounded by family and friends in Oxford. He had been working as a defensive analyst for the Rebels under his son and current head coach Lane Kiffin.

Kiffin's collegiate coaching career began at Nebraska in 1966 after the Lexington native played with the Huskers in the early 1960s and had a brief professional career with the NFL after being a 15th-round selection in 1964.

After starting out as a graduate assistant, Kiffin later became the Huskers' defensive coordinator from 1969-76, aiding the Big Red to two national championships under Bob Devaney. After leaving Lincoln, he would move on to Arkansas and North Carolina State, becoming a head coach with the Wolf Pack.

In 1995, Kiffin earned his first nod with the NFL as a defensive coordinator with the New Orleans Saints. One year later, he began his legendary mark with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, concluding a 12-year run from 1996-2008 that featured the Super Bowl XXXVII crown and a Ring of Honor membership with the Bucs.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin
Aug 9, 2008; Houston, TX, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin against the Houston Texans in the third quarter at Reliant Stadium. / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Kiffin returned to college football in 2009 to coach with his son at Tennessee. He was briefly the assistant head coach with USC from 2010-12, then returned to the NFL in 2013 with the Dallas Cowboys.

Kiffin was an all-state selection in high school, aiding Lexington to an undefeated season in 1957 as an offensive and defensive tackle. He pushed the Minutemen to a No. 1 ranking in Class A in football, and averaged nearly 17 points per contest during his senior season of basketball. He is also a Nebraska High School Hall of Famer for his success in his home town.

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Austin Jacobsen
AUSTIN JACOBSEN

Austin Jacobsen is a radio broadcaster and former Sports Director in Central Nebraska. He has seen the Cornhusker state from all corners; growing up in the Panhandle, completing his college degree in Kearney, working in the rural Sandhills, and now residing in Omaha. Austin is a statewide, regional, and national radio award winner and can usually be found at a high school football field on Friday nights and tuning in to the Huskers wherever they travel. If he is not on the road, Austin enjoys movie dates with his girlfriend and their dog, Ava.

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