When Jon Gruden replaced Tony Dungy as head coach of the Bucs in 2002, he kept the team’s defensive coordinator. Monte Kiffin had helped Tony Dungy create and implement the Tampa 2 defense, and Gruden had no desire to fix something that wasn’t broken.
The Bucs ranked first in total defense and first in points allowed and won the Super Bowl in Gruden’s first season as head coach.
“When I got traded to Tampa, Monte and I were really excited to work together because we’d been behind the scenes studying football for several years,” Gruden told Ira Kaufman of joebucsfan.com. “He was a great mentor for me, and we worked really well together.”
Kiffin died Thursday at the age of 84.
He spent 13 years in Tampa and remains the longest-tenured coach in Buccaneers franchise history.
Kiffin coached Warren Sapp, Derrick Brooks, Ronde Barber and John Lynch, all of whom are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
“Monte was the same guy every day — upbeat, positive and prepared,” Gruden said. “He was a phenomenal teacher and presenter. He did the preparation, and he did the presentation. Those are the two things I always thought the great coaches did . . . and he did it better than anybody. God bless him and his family.”
Kiffin is a member of the Bucs’ Ring of Honor.