Monte Kiffin 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 . Career . Kiffin is a native of Lexington , Nebraska . From 1959 into 1963 , Kiffin was an offensive and defensive tackle at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln . In 1966 he played 8 games with the Toronto Rifles of the Continental Football League and also was a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers of the same league . After a brief stint as a defensive end for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers , Kiffin returned to Nebraska as a defensive coach . Kiffin was the defensive coordinator at Nebraska under legendary coach , Bob Devaney . He coached the defenses of Nebraska ' s 1970 and 1971 back - to - back undefeated national champion teams . After then offensive coordinator Tom Osborne was selected as the head coach in 1973 , Monte stayed as the defensive coordinator for four years . In 1977 , he moved to the University of Arkansas , and then in 1980 , he got his one and only head coaching job at North Carolina State University . Kiffin then began a series of short stints in the NFL for the Green Bay Packers , Buffalo Bills , Minnesota Vikings ( twice ) , New York Jets , and New Orleans Saints . In 1996 , he became the defensive coordinator for the Bucs . After Tony Dungy was dismissed by the Buccaneer front office following the 2001 season , Kiffin was persuaded by incoming head coach Jon Gruden to remain in Tampa and continue to run his defense . Kiffin had been interviewed for a head coaching position with the San Francisco 49ers . With the seamless transition on defense allowing the new coaching staff to focus intently on a more potent offensive philosophy , the result was an immediate balance between offense and defense that carried the Buccaneers to the organization ' s first championship in Super Bowl XXXVII on January 26 , 2003 in San Diego , California . Controversy has surrounded Kiffin ' s departure from Tampa Bay . After Lane Kiffin signed with Tennessee , Tampa ' s typically stout defense underperformed . The Bucs lost their final four games of the 2008 season , ending up 9 – 7 , and missed the playoffs . Before this , no NFL team had ever missed the playoffs after achieving a record of 9 – 3 . Reports stated that Gruden refused to allow Kiffin to announce his departure to Tennessee mid - season . Allegations were made that Kiffin refused to participate in normal coaching meetings . Neither Kiffin nor Jon Gruden have openly discussed these events . Monte joined the University of Southern California coaching staff as defensive coordinator , after his son Lane Kiffin became the head coach . On January 11 , 2013 , following the 2012 - 13 NFL regular season , Kiffin was hired as Defensive Coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys . Defensive philosophy . Monte Kiffin is the mastermind behind the Tampa 2 scheme , which is a slight modification of Tony Dungy ' s Cover 2 . His defensive philosophy has several hallmarks . Personal life . Monte Kiffin ' s sons are both football coaches . Elder son Lane Kiffin played football at Fresno State before entering coaching : becoming the head coach of the Oakland Raiders , Tennessee Volunteers , and USC Trojans . Younger son Chris Kiffin played football for Colorado State and is now the Defensive Line coach for Ole Miss , where he followed head coach Hugh Freeze from Arkansas State .