One of the greatest careers of any kind to unfold within the confines of Tampa Bay Buccaneers history will now be recognized by the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
On Wednesday, the Hall of Fame announced the 15 recipients of this year’s Awards of Excellence, a program that was launched two years ago to recognize significant contributions to the game by those outside of the ranks of players and head coaches. This year, one of those recipients is Monte Kiffin, the Buccaneers’ long-time defensive coordinator and the architect of one of the most potent defenses in NFL history.
The recipients come from five categories of NFL occupations: assistant coaches, athletic trainers, equipment managers, film/video directors and public relations personnel. That Kiffin is one of the first nine assistant coaches to receive this incredible honor is a testament to the impact he had on the league and the game of football.
Kiffin is the second Tampa Bay coach to be given the Award of Excellence, joining Tom Moore, who received that honor last year. In addition, Dave Levy, who was the Buccaneers’ video director for nearly three decades, is joining Kiffin in the Class of 2024. As was the case with Moore, Kiffin and Levy will be celebrated with a plaque describing their career accomplishments in a special wing of the Hall of Fame in Canton. All of the 2024 Award of Excellence honorees will be honored in a ceremony in Canton in late June.
Kiffin spent 13 seasons (1996-2008) as the Buccaneers’ defensive coordinator and he was the architect of one of the most sustained eras of defensive excellence for any team in NFL history. Hired first to join Tony Dungy’s new staff in 1996, he stayed in his position in 2002 when the Buccaneers hired Jon Gruden as their new head coach in 2002. During those combined 13 seasons, Tampa Bay’s defense allowed the fewest points per game (17.5) while ranking second in both yards allowed per game (286.8) and total takeaways (293). Kiffin helped the Buccaneers’ defensive stars master the Cover Two scheme, to the point that is now more commonly referred to in NFL circles as the “Tampa Two.”
The Buccaneers’ honored Kiffin’s abundant accomplishments three years ago when he became the first, and to this point, only assistant coach in the team’s Ring of Honor at Raymond James Stadium. During a 2021 press conference, he was…
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