Monte Kiffin, Father of Ole Miss Coach Lane, Passes Away at 84

Monte Kiffin, the father of Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin, died on Thursday.

Sep 28, 2014; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin watches drills before the game against the New Orleans Saints at AT&T Stadium. Dallas beat New Orleans 38-17. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports / Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Monte Kiffin, longtime leader of football defenses and father of Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane, passed away on Thursday. He was 84.

Ole Miss shared the news of the elder Kiffin's passing on social media on Thursday. He had served as an analyst on the Rebels staff since his son became the head coach prior to the 2020 season.

"Monte Kiffin, 84, peacefully passed away today in Oxford surrounded by family and friends," Ole Miss' statement read. "As his grandson Knox said, he’s free of pain and smiling down on us from above. Please keep the Kiffin family in your thoughts and prayers during this time."

Monte played college football at Nebraska before beginning a professional career that ran from 1964-66. He broke into the coaching profession as a graduate assistant at Nebraska in 1966, and that path led to multiple assistant positions before he became the head coach at NC State in 1980.

His first coaching job in the NFL came as an assistant on the Green Bay Packers staff in 1983, and he would remain in the league through the 2008 season.

One of Kiffin's most notable accomplishments in football came in his time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, working alongside coach Tony Dungy to construct the "Tampa 2" defense that helped propel the franchise to a Super Bowl win in 2002.

After his first run in the NFL, Kiffin joined his son as a coach with the Tennessee Volunteers and followed him to USC on the defensive staff. He would return to the pros on the staffs of the Dallas Cowboys and Jacksonville Jaguars, but he would reunite with Lane at Florida Atlantic prior to his role at Ole Miss.

Alongside his Super Bowl title in 2002, Monte won two national championships at Nebraska (1970, 1971) and was inducted into the Buccaneers' Ring of Honor in 2021.