Kiffin lured to Tennessee by son, Vols' prestige

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Monte Kiffin considered joining the Tennessee staff as defensive coordinator under coach Johnny Majors in 1983. He went to the Green Bay Packers instead.

Now after an accomplished NFL career, Kiffin joins the Vols, leading the defense for his son, Lane Kiffin.

"I went to the Green Bay Packers with Bart Starr, and all due respect to Bart, we got fired after one year. Sometimes you make the right decision, sometimes you don't, but you can't look back," Monte Kiffin said on Friday in his first appearance with the Vols.

Had Kiffin chosen to join Majors' staff, he would have worked alongside Lane Kiffin's predecessor, Phillip Fulmer, who was the offensive line coach at the time. Monte Kiffin said he had become familiar with Fulmer before that when their paths crossed while Kiffin was an assistant at Nebraska and Fulmer at Wichita State in Kansas.

Monte Kiffin's decision in 1983 wasn't exactly a bad one as it was the beginning of a 26-season run in the NFL.

Kiffin went on to stints with the Buffalo Bills, Minnesota Vikings, New York Jets and New Orleans Saints before finally landing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he won the 2002 Super Bowl and coached units that ranked among the NFL's top 10 in total defense and points allowed in 11 of 13 seasons.

Kiffin said he wasn't looking to leave Tampa Bay -- he still has a good relationship with owner Malcolm Glazer and coach Jon Gruden -- but he had talked with Lane some in the past about coaching together.

The 68-year-old Lexington, Neb., native said he wouldn't have joined his son at just any program. He told Lane that he wouldn't join him if he decided to accept the Washington coaching job for which his son interviewed.

Monte Kiffin was especially impressed by the tradition of Tennessee football, the number of fans that can be packed into Neyland Stadium, the on-campus facilities and the dedication of the program's boosters.

In a way, it reminds him a bit of his alma mater, Nebraska.

"You're talking about big-time football," Monte Kiffin said. "It was about Tennessee. It really was. I'm not just saying that."

Monte Kiffin was introduced on the same day that Tennessee announced the hiring of New Orleans Saints assistant and former Mississippi coach Ed Orgeron as recruiting coordinator, assistant head coach and defensive line coach. Lane Kiffin said the two "are the best in the world at what they do."

"We're going to shoot so high in everything we do: the way we put our staff together, the way that we recruit," Lane Kiffin said.

The elder Kiffin didn't leave any doubt on Friday that he was excited. He showed off his new orange tie to reporters -- orange was one of his high school's colors -- and made an impassioned speech about his new job, waving his arms in the air as he spoke.

Monte Kiffin and Orgeron will hit the recruiting trail together on Monday, leaving Knoxville on Sunday night so they can be at a high school in Memphis "before the custodian opens the door, to meet the head coach," Monte Kiffin said.

He acknowledges that it's been a while since he's recruited a prospect, but he's not worried about the transition to younger players. A few of his Bucs were 20 years old after leaving college early.

Monte Kiffin also isn't worried about adapting his style of defense from the pros to college. He had to adjust to the single-wing Wildcat formation that gained popularity in the NFL this season, so he's not concerned about spread offenses like Florida's.

Monte Kiffin's last experience at the college level came as head coach at North Carolina State from 1980-82. Before that he worked for three seasons as an assistant at Arkansas and 11 seasons at Nebraska.

"Football's football, you know? It really is. There's more to it than just blocking and tackling, but the field is the same length and wide and all that," Monte Kiffin said.

"The hash marks are a little different, but we'll figure that out."

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