| abstract | - Monte Kiffin (born February 29, 1940) is the defensive coordinator of the Dallas Cowboys. He is widely considered to be one of the preeminent defensive coordinators in modern football, as well as one of the greatest defensive coordinators in NFL history. Father of the widely imitated “Tampa Cover 2” defense, Kiffin's concepts are among the most influential in modern college and pro football. Most recently, Kiffin served as assistant head coach for the USC Trojans football program, where his son Lane Kiffin was named head coach on January 12, 2010. Possibly due to the mounting pressure on his poor coaching records, on November 29, 2012, Kiffin resigned from his position to pursue other opportunities in the NFL. He previously served 26 years as an NFL assistant coach, including 13 years as defensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with whom he won Super Bowl XXXVII. His defensive units have finished ranked in the top 10 in points allowed and yards allowed 10 times during that period, an NFL record. Kiffin was paid about $1.2 million per year by Tennessee, which made him the highest paid assistant coach in college football. He earned a reported $2 million annual salary from the Buccaneers and has turned down several NFL head coaching jobs during his career. To this day, Kiffin's only head coaching job was at North Carolina State University from 1980 to 82.
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