Photo: TreyMcNeil / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
With Monte Kiffin, what grabs me is that he left behind an idea, not just a career. Born in Lexington, Nebraska, and shaped at the University of Nebraska, he authored the Tampa 2, one of the most imitated defensive schemes in the game. Players fade with their eras, but a man who reshapes how the sport is thought about lives on for decades, and his concepts still echo from college fields to the NFL. He passed in 2024, fittingly born on a leap-year February 29. I am drawn most to figures who bequeath a philosophy, and Kiffin is exactly that rare kind.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Monte Kiffin
- Name (Japanese)
- モンテ・キフィン
- Reading
- もんて・きふぃん
- Born
- February 29, 1940 – July 11, 2024
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Pisces / Dragon
- Origin
- Lexington, Nebraska, United States
- Occupation
- Canadian football player / American football coach / American football player
2. Background
- University
- University of Nebraska–Lincoln
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Monte Kiffin born?
February 29, 1940 – July 11, 2024.
Where is Monte Kiffin from?
Monte Kiffin is from Lexington, Nebraska, United States.
What does Monte Kiffin do?
Monte Kiffin works as Canadian football player, American football coach, American football player.
Canadian football player — see all → · American football coach — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.