Gym Cracks By Jim January 24, 2003 NEBRASKA'S SUPER CONNECTION Nebraska native Monte Kiffen hopes to get Super Bowl ring as Bucs' defensive coordinator By Jim (Babe) Berryman MissingNebraska.com Western Nebraska Monte Kiffin is receiving considerable "ink" this week prior to the Super Bowl. Kiffin, the pride of Lexington, finally gets to the Big One as the defensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Bucs. He is being touted as a defensive genius. He's the man Hall of Famer Howie Long calls "the gold standard for defensive coordinators in the NFL." Kiffin has plied his trade since his days running Bob Devaney's national championship defenses at UNL. Some thought he would inherit Devaney's position. Instead Devaney recommended a man by the name of Tom Osborne. Since leaving Nebraska, he's definitely needed a road map. He went to Arkansas to be Lou Holtz's defensive coordinator. He then accepted the head football position at North Carolina State. After three years in this position, he was fired. Green Bay's Bart Starr beckoned. Starr and his staff was fired after the 1983 season. Kiffin bounced from Green Bay to Buffalo to Minnesota to the New York Jets to New Orleans to Tampa in 1996. What's the definition of a nomad? The 62-year old Kiffin has a positive attitude on life. "It's not how old you are, it's how you act," he said earlier this season. "You can be 50 growing on 75. I'm 62 growing on 40, I've got a passion for football, and I've had it for a long time." He spent so many nights on his office couch with the Bucs that former Tampa Coach Tony Dungy turned up the air conditioner and took away Kiffin's pillow and blanket to get him to go home. Lexington can certainly be proud of Kiffin. I can recall as a UNL student, I made the trip to the York City Auditorium to watch Kiffin and Mick Tingelhoff (of Minnesota Vikings fame) play in a district high school basketball game. Kiffin was not a one-sport athlete at Lexington. I will be pulling for Kiffin this weekend--a Nebraska native who will be watched by millions of sport fans throughout the world. Feedback Previous Gym Cracks: 01-15-03: Hometown Hits Big Time Gym Cracks By Jim 12-30-02: Count The Numbers Gym Cracks By Jim 12-18-02: Cream Of Coaching Crop Gym Cracks By Jim 11-28-02: The Big Picture Gym Cracks By Jim 11-18-02: 2 For 2 Gym Cracks By Jim 10-25-02: Sweet On Switzer Gym Cracks By Jim 10-17-02: Best Time Year Gym Cracks By Jim 10-11-02: Odds And Ends Gym Cracks By Jim 10-04-02: The Rating Game Gym Cracks By Jim 09-22-02: Fans Panned Gym Cracks By Jim 09-12-02: World Herald Calling Gym Cracks 09-05-02: Bit By Baseball Bug Gym Cracks 08-29-02: Caring Coaches Gym Cracks 08-22-02: Nebraska "Storm" Hits Colorado Gym Cracks 08-15-02: Cubs Win, Wallet Drained Gym Cracks 08-08-02: To Coors For Cubs Gym Cracks 07-25-02: Major League Madness Gym Cracks 07-18-02: Nebraskans In The Majors Gym Cracks 07-11-02: Kile Death Sheds Light Gym Cracks 07-04-02: Couch Potato Parking Gym Cracks 06-23-02: Top 10 Nebraska High School Nicknames Gym Cracks 06-06-02: Better In The 50s Gym Cracks 05-30-02: Dangerfield of Nebraska Gym Cracks 05-16-02: Baseball Sneak Aways Gym Cracks