Lane Kiffin Shares Late Father’s Legacy After Old Auction Collectible Dives Him Into Nostalgia

Like father, like son. As cliche as that sounds, it’s transpired into a resounding truth for the Kiffin clan. Lane Kiffin, for all his antics and eccentricity, is just an outright great coach. His acumen and resultant success on the sidelines is no fluke if you’re aware of his lineage. Lane’s dad, the late Monte Kiffin, was a coaching powerhouse in his own right. It’s almost as if there was an osmosis-like permeation of footballing prowess between the pair. 

There is one divergence in the Kiffin hierarchy, though. While Lane is an offensive wizard, Monte Kiffin plied his craft on the other side. Coach Monte is unequivocally one of the greatest defensive minds in the modern history of the sport. His storied career, spanning across 7 decades, is best remembered for his time down in Tampa. Monte was the Buccaneers’ defensive coordinator for 12 years. He was a vital cog in bringing the franchise its first-ever championship. However, the building blocks for this hardware began stacking up far away from Tampa. The first steps in Monte Kiffin’s traversal up the ladder took place in Nebraska. Both as a player and coach.

Lexington-native Monte took his talents 60 miles southeast to play College Football for the blueblood Nebraska Cornhuskers. Younger fans may bat an eye at the Huskers’ claim to this status. However, when Monte Kiffin was trudging along campus in the early 60s, he and others of his era laid the groundwork for what ensued under Tom Osborne in the 80s. Reciprocally, the importance of Nebraska in molding Monte and, by extension, Lane Kiffin’s career is not lost on the latter.

Lane Kiffin took to IG to post a picture of a vintage, framed picture of Monte Kiffin as an offensive tackle for the Huskers. The framed picture is followed by text relaying the career timestamps of Monte. First as a player and then as a coach. It’s inconspicuous whether this photo, which has an auction tag on it, was acquired by Lane or is being given away. Regardless, it’s a special bit of memorabilia. To contextualize just how much of a mark Monte Kiffin left on this sport, the final bit of this text reads, “[Kiffin] was an All-American at Lexington High School.” Sorry, Lane, but if it wasn’t clear already, your father’s achievements definitely pip yours! It’s clear to see the affection and reverence Lane Kiffin has for his late, great dad.

Kiffin also took to X, as he’s made a bit of a habit of doing. Except this time, it wasn’t for a jibe at an adversary or the committee. He uploaded the same picture over there and accompanied this post with the caption “❤️ @HuskerFootball”. Despite the partisan B1G-SEC discourse off-late, Kiffin had no hesitation in showing love to his father’s alma mater. After his playing career for Nebraska, Monte was drafted into the NFL as a late-round pick. A handful of seasons in the pros later, he was back in Lincoln as a graduate assistant. He found his calling on the other side of the white lines. The father-son duo’s careers will converge years later at Rocky Top.

Monte and Lane Kiffin’s career together didn’t begin on great terms

Despite never becoming a head coach himself, Coach Monte did assist son Lane Kiffin at particular junctures of his own journey as head coach. Right until his passing, when Lane was in his current capacity with Ole Miss. In fact, Monte passed away in Oxford, Mississippi. Now, Lane’s first foray as head coach with the Oakland Raiders was a disaster. So when he became coach of the Tennessee Vols next, he wanted his old man by his side. At this time, Monte Kiffin self-proclaimed to have been very happy as DC of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This created a conundrum for Monte, and what transpired is a sad blemish on his time in West Florida.

It wasn’t the goodbye coach Monte would’ve wished for after such a successful stint. The decision to depart was made in the midst of the NFL season but was not announced to the public. Unfortunately, those in the organization knew, and it had ugly repercussions. Monte Kiffin supposedly didn’t even partake in team meetings after his decision was finalized. The impending exit seeped into performances. The Bucs’ defense took a huge downturn. The Bucs were 9-3 and cruising at one stage. Coinciding with the revelation around Kiffin, they lost 4 on the spin down the stretch and missed the playoffs.

Despite this blemish, Monte Kiffin’s legacy is still supremely intact. Not only in Tampa, but in Lincoln. His son is continuing to add wrinkles to it. Few families have had a similar impact on the sport as the Kiffins. A Super Bowl ring does not appear forthcoming on the horizon for Lane Kiffin right now. However, he hopes to win the Natty with Ole Miss as an alternative.