One of the great innovative defensive minds in football history has passed away.
Monte Kiffin, best known as the defensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, died on Thursday at the age of 84. At the time of his passing, Monte worked as a consultant and player personnel analyst at Ole Miss under his son, head coach Lane Kiffin.
Kiffin’s impact on modern football is impossible to overstate. His ‘Tampa 2’ defensive scheme in the 1990s-2000s yielded tremendous results for the Buccaneers under Tony Dungy, and ultimately won a Super Bowl in 2002 in Jon Gruden’s first year as head coach.