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Ole Miss Rebels coach Lane Kiffin’s father Monte Kiffin died aged 84 on Thursday. Presley Kiffin, Lane Kiffin’s daughter, shared a post on her social media earlier on Friday to honor her late grandfather. Presley Kiffin reshared a tribute post from the Ole Miss Instagram page. She also added a caption saying:
“Hardest goodbye I love you”
As per the Instagram post, Monte Kiffin was surrounded by his loved ones when he died in Oxford.
"Monte Kiffin, 84, peacefully passed away today in Oxford surrounded by family and friends. 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 in this time."
Monte Kiffin was a professional football player before he started his coaching career in 1966 as a graduate assistant for the Nebraska Cornhuskers. When he was a player, he played both as a defensive tackle and an offensive tackle.
During 1970 and 1971, the Cornhuskers became back-to-back national champions with Monte Kiffin as a part of the coaching staff. Kiffin then spent three seasons as the defensive coordinator and assistant head coach at Arkansas before taking on the head coach role at NC State in 1980.
He achieved a 16-17 overall record over three seasons. Over his career, Kiffin coached at seven colleges and eight NFL teams. In his final years, he supported his son Lane Kiffin as a player personnel analyst for Ole Miss until his passing.
Kiffin transitioned to the NFL in 1983, and he began as a linebackers coach for the Green Bay Packers.
Lane Kiffin paid his tribute to his father
On Thursday morning, Lane shared two childhood photos on X (formerly Twitter) with his father, Monte Kiffin. One photo featured Kiffin with his father on a horse, and the other one showed Monte kneeling to pose with his son.
He shared a two-word caption on X of his admiration for his late father, along with red and purple heart emojis:
“My Hero.”
Monte Kiffin's passing is a significant loss for the football community, but it is most profoundly felt by the Kiffin family and Lane, who learned a lot from his father.
Lane Kiffin is entering a promising season where many experts see the Rebels as potential College Football Playoff contenders.
Lane's coaching career includes several years at USC, where he served both as a coordinator and head coach. Monte Kiffin's legacy lives on through Lane, who continues to carry the lessons and inspiration imparted by his father.
