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Longtime NFL DC Monte Kiffin dies at age 84

Longtime NFL defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin died on Thursday at the age of 84, Ole Miss announced.

Kiffin was surrounded by family and friends, 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," the school said in a post to X.

Kiffin's son, Lane, is the head coach of the Ole Miss football team. Monte Kiffin had been a defensive analyst for his son's team since 2020.

His other son, Chris, is the defensive line coach for the Rebels.

Earlier Thursday, Lane Kiffin posted photos of himself as a child with his father on X, writing, "My hero."

Monte Kiffin was one of the architects of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' stellar defense that won the Super Bowl in the 2002, teaming with Tony Dungy to build the vaunted "Tampa 2" scheme that led the Buccaneers to great success and was copied by several other teams around the league.

Kiffin spent 13 of his 16 seasons as an NFL defensive coordinator with the Bucs, also having one-year stints as coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints and Dallas Cowboys.

In March, he was one of 15 honorees by the Pro Football Hall of Fame through their Awards for Excellence program, meant to honor those who have made longtime significant contributions to the sport.