Monte Kiffin, a Green Bay Packers coach in 1983, dead at 84
Richard Ryman
Former Green Bay Packers linebackers coach Monte Kiffin, 84, died Thursday in Oxford, Mississippi.
Kiffin, who coached for eight NFL teams and seven college teams in his career, was linebackers coach with the Packers in 1983 under head coach Bart Starr. It was Kiffin's first year coaching in the NFL and Starr's last. Kiffin moved to the Buffalo Bills the next year.
Kiffin was part of three championship teams, including the Nebraska Cornhuskers, who were undefeated in 1970 and 1971 and voted NCAA champions, and the Super Bowl XXXVII winning Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Kiffin's longest tenure was 13 years with the Buccaneers under head coaches Tony Dungy and Jon Gruden. Kiffin was credited with developing the successful Tampa 2 defensive scheme. The Bucs had the league's top defense during their Super Bowl season, allowing just 12.3 points per game.
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His final coaching job was as a defensive assistant with Florida Atlantic University in 2017-2019. He was a player personnel analyst for the University of Mississippi in 2020-23.
A native of Nebraska, Kiffin was an offensive and defensive tackle at the University of Nebraska. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the 15th round of the 1964 NFL draft. He did not play in a regular-season game for the Vikings, but in 1965 played for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League and in 1966 for the Toronto Rifles and Brooklyn Dodgers, both of the Continental Football League.
Kiffin began his coaching career in 1966 as a graduate assistant for the Cornhuskers. He was named defensive coordinator in 1969, and in 1970 and 1971 Nebraska was 24-0-1 with two national championships.
His son, Lane Kiffin, is head coach at the University of Mississippi. Another son, Chris Kiffin, coached for college and NFL teams as well.
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