NFL and college football legend Monte Kiffin dead at 84: Ole Miss pays tribute to father of head coach Lane

Longtime NFL and college football defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin has died at the age of 84, according to a statement shared by Ole Miss on social media. 

Kiffin, the father of current Rebels head coach, Lane, was surrounded by both family and friends at the time of his passing on Thursday, the school said. 

'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,' read the viral post on X.

Kiffin, who had been working on his son's coaching staff as a defensive analyst since 2020, was one of the architects behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' mean defense that won the 2002 Super Bowl. Along with Tony Dungy, he built the high effective 'Tampa 2' scheme that led the Bucs to great success and influenced other teams' defenses.

Kiffin spent 13 of his 16 NFL seasons as the Bucs' defensive coordinator, but also held the same job on the Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints and Dallas Cowboys for one year only each time. 

Earlier on Thursday, Lane shared two throwback snaps of himself as a child and with his father on X, captioning his post: 'My hero.' 

Kiffin's other son, Chris, is a defensive line coach on Lane's Ole Miss football staff. 

In March, Kiffin was one of 15 honorees by the Pro Football Hall of Fame through its Awards for Excellence Program.

More to follow...