Monte Kiffin, a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Ring of Honor and one of the most celebrated assistant coaches in NFL history, passed away on Thursday. He was 84.
The Buccaneers family mourned the loss of one of the most beloved figures ever to grace their facilities. Kiffin spent 13 seasons as the team’s defensive coordinator as part of a coaching career that lasted 29 years in the NFL. He also coached on the college level for 26 years, including three (1980-82) as the head coach at North Carolina State, and had a brief playing career in the Canadian Football League.
“Monte Kiffin was a beloved and iconic member of the Buccaneers family, and our entire organization mourns his loss today,” said the Glazer Family, owners of the Buccaneers, in a statement. “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. Off the field, Monte was kind, genuine, gracious and always had a positive attitude. He was very special to the Buccaneers organization and our family. We send our heartfelt condolences to his wife, Robin, sons Lane and Chris, daughter Heidi and the entire Kiffin family.”
Kiffin was hired by Tony Dungy in 1996 after Dungy landed the Buccaneers’ head coaching job. The two ushered in one of the best and most sustained eras of defense in NFL history. After finishing 27th in league defensive rankings in 1995, Tampa Bay improved to 11th in Kiffin’s first year at the helm. The Buccaneers would then finish in the top 10 in each of the next nine seasons and in 11 of the next 12. That included three two first-place rankings and six others in the top five.
In 2002, Kiffin presided over one of the greatest single-season defensive performances the NFL has ever seen. His crew allowed just 252.8 yards per game, nearly 40 yards better than the second-place Carolina Panthers, and 12.3 points per game, pitching two shutouts along the way. Kiffin’s defense allowed just 10 passing touchdowns, forced 38 turnovers and scored five touchdowns of its own. The 196 points allowed overall by the Buccaneers in 2002 rank as the fifth fewest in a 16-game season in NFL history.
That season ended with the first Super Bowl championship in franchise history, as the defense recorded five sacks, five interceptions and a still-standing Super Bowl record three pick-sixes in a 48-21 win over the Oakland Raiders. After the season, Kiffin was named the Assistant Coach of the Year by both Football Digest and the Pro Football Writers Association.
Many of the Buccaneers’ defensive team records were set while Kiffin was the coordinator. The 2002 team allowed the fewest points and points per game in team history and also set Buc marks for lowest passer rating (48.4) and completion percentage (50.8%) allowed. The 2000 squad set the team single-season standard with 55 sacks. The 1999 team surrendered only 228 first downs, another team record. The 1998 defense allowed a franchise-low 31.7% third-down conversion rate. Seven of the 11 shutouts in Buccaneers history occurred under Kiffin’s watch.
The longest-tenured coach in Buccaneers annals, Kiffin helped develop four players who are now in the Pro Football Hall of Fame: Warren Sapp, Derrick Brooks, John Lynch and Rondé Barber. Sapp was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1999 and Brooks earned the same honor in 2002. During his 13 years as the Bucs’ defensive coordinator, Tampa Bay defenders earned 36 Pro Bowl berths spread among eight different players. In that same span, the Associated Press bestowed first or second-team All-Pro honors on Buccaneer defenders 27 times.
Kiffin was inducted into the Ring of Honor at Raymond James Stadium on September 19, 2021, becoming the first assistant coach to see his name placed on the stadium façade. Earlier this summer, Kiffin received the Hall of Fame’s Award of Excellence in the category of assistant coaches. Kiffin was honored in just the third year of the Award of Excellence program, which is aimed at recognizing significant contributions to the game by those outside of the ranks of players and head coaches. A plaque describing Kiffin’s career accomplishments now resides in a special wing of the Hall of in Canton, Ohio.
