Did Monte Kiffin coach at Nebraska? Taking a look at Lane Kiffin's father's coaching career

Legendary defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin died at age 84 on July 11. Monte is the father of Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin.

Monte began his coaching career as a graduate assistant in 1966 after a brief pro career in minor pro leagues. His coaching career spanned from 1966 to 2023.

Did Monte Kiffin coach at Nebraska?

Monte Kiffin did coach at Nebraska — his first job was with the Cornhuskers.

Kiffin played college football at Nebraska, as he was born and raised in Nebraska. After his college career and brief pro career, he was hired as a graduate assistant by the Cornhuskers in 1966. He held that role until 1968.

He was promoted to defensive coordinator in 1969, and he worked in that role until 1976.

Kiffin helped lead Nebraska to back-to-back national championships in 1970 and 1971.

Monte Kiffin's defensive scheme

Monte Kiffin is considered one of the greatest NFL defensive coordinators in history.

Kiffin's defensive scheme was known as Tampa 2, which modifies the more well-known Cover 2 scheme.

The Tampa 2 was a 4-3 system consisting of four defensive linemen, three linebackers, two cornerbacks and two safeties. The middle linebacker drops into deep middle coverage to form Cover 3 when it is a pass play, which is the difference between Tampa 2 and Cover 2.

Tampa 2 is known for its simple format, speed and aggressive mentality, and it requires a hard-hitting secondary to be successful.

Monte Kiffin's coaching career

Monte Kiffin was never a head coach in the NFL, but he was a defensive coordinator.

After moving on from Nebraska, Kiffin was the defensive coordinator of Arkansas from 1977 until 1979. He then served as the head coach of NC State from 1980 until 1982.

Kiffin then moved to the NFL and became the linebackers coach for the Buffalo Bills. He had the same job with the Minnesota Vikings and New York Jets after that.

His first job as defensive coordinator in the NFL came with the Vikings in 1991, but he only held that role for one season. He's most known for his time as DC of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1996 until 2008, helping them to win Super Bowl XXXVII in 2003.

Kiffin has also coached at Tennessee, USC, Dallas Cowboys, Jacksonville Jaguars, Florida Atlantic and Ole Miss.