Former Jefferson football coach and teacher Stan Skjei said there was nobody more dedicated to football than Monte Kiffin.
The former Minnesota Vikings assistant coach and father of current Ole Miss football coach Lane Kiffin passed away late last week at 84. A post from the official Ole Miss football account on X (formerly Twitter) wrote: “peacefully passed away today surrounded by family and friends. As his grandson Knox said, he’s free of pain and smiling down on us from above.”
https://x.com/OleMissFB/status/1811530014678212689
Skjei spoke fondly of talking with Monte Kiffin, which dates back to the early 1970s when star Jaguar Tom Ruud played at the University of Nebraska. Kiffin was the defensive coordinator then and spent much time talking with Skjei and his staff, learning as much as possible about the game.
“Monte is the guy you could call at 3 in the morning to talk about football, and he will answer the phone,” Skjei said. “His defensive stuff was cutting edge, and when Lane played, he would spend some time talking about football and just make it fun.
“He was so unselfish with his time; he would spend a lot of time with our staff, coming up with different ways to use players, and he knew everything about the game.”
Coaching path
Lane graduated from Jefferson in 1994 and was recruited to Fresno State (California), where he was a backup before forgoing his senior season to become a student assistant coach in 1997-98.
Lane’s path led through Colorado State and the Jacksonville Jaguars before joining the University of Southern California staff as a position coach from 2001-06.
He became the Oakland Raiders head coach in 2007 at just 31 years old, where he coached the 2008 season before moving on to the University of Tennessee as head coach in 2009. He was the head coach at USC from 2010-13 before becoming an assistant at Alabama (2014-16) and head coach at Florida Atlantic (2017-19) before his current role at Ole Miss since 2020.
Skjei isn’t surprised by Lane’s rise through the coaching ranks.
“The way he studied the game, his knowledge of the game, and just being with Monte all the time, they just lived football,” Skjei said. “He knew the offense and was a good leader.”
Minnesota connection
Kiffin’s first connection to the Minnesota Vikings came as a player in 1964. He didn’t appear in a game but joined the Winnipeg Blue Bombers with Bud Grant the following season.
Kiffin was honored in June with an Award of Excellence from the Pro Football Hall of Fame. According to a press release from the Minnesota Vikings, the program was launched in 2022 to recognize support staff who have made lasting impacts throughout their NFL service.
Kiffin spent 52 combined seasons coaching between the college and NFL ranks, including two runs with the Vikings, 1986-1989 under Jerry Burns and 1992-94 with Dennis Green. Kiffin worked with Tony Dungy during his second stint with the Vikings as linebackers coach and defensive coordinator in 1991. The pair reunited in Tampa, where Kiffin was the defensive coordinator from 1996-2008, helping the Buccaneers win a Super Bowl title.
The Vikings press release included thoughts from Ring of Honor linebacker Scott Studwell: “Monte had a great football mind, and he had an unbelievable recall,” said Vikings Ring of Honor linebacker Studwell. “He was an effective teacher; he knew our scheme and the game inside and out. He was great on game-day adjustments and a really fun guy to be around — a players’ coach. He had a great way about him, but he was earnest about the game and his role as a coach, teacher and mentor. One of my favorites for sure.”
Skjei heads to Nashville
Lakeville native Brady Skjei, grandson of former Jefferson football coach Stan Skjei, signed a seven-year, $49 million contract as a free agent with the Nashville Predators. Skjei, 30, is coming off a career-high 47 points (13 goals, 34 assists) in 80 games for Carolina last season and nine points (one goal, eight assists) in 11 playoff games. Skjei, a former Minnesota Gopher, was a first-round draft pick of the New York Rangers in 2012 (28th overall). He has 247 career points (68 goals, 179 assists in 609 regular-season games for the Hurricanes and Rangers and 25 points in 76 playoff games.
He joins the Predators as part of a high-flying free agent class with Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault and Scott Wedgewood as free agency began on July 1.
Bloomington native Erik Johnson and Edina’s Bobby Brink resigned with Philadelphia on one-year contracts. Johnson joined the Flyers at the trade deadline, playing in 17 games, finishing with two goals and one assist, averaging 16:26 of ice time per game. He spent the majority of the season with Buffalo, playing 50 games. He will begin the season with 987 regular season games across 17 seasons, starting with St. Louis before helping Colorado win the Stanley Cup trophy in 2021-22. He ranks 11th among active NHL defensemen since 2007-08 in blocked shots (1,691), 14th in shots (1,927) and 16th in hits (1,636) and games played (987). He was the first overall draft pick in 2006 by St. Louis.
Fencing at Mall of America
USA Fencing, the governing body for the sport in the United States, will make a Fencing Across America stop July 28-29 at the Mall of America.
Fans can pick up a blade and go up against some top fencers ahead of the Paris Olympics. Bloomington is one of 16 stops on the national tour running July 27-Aug. 4, with locations from New York City to California.
Hoop Local in Richfield
The third annual Hoop Local 3-on-3 basketball tournament and community fundraiser is set for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, July 20 at Donaldson Park.
Proceeds will go to replace basketball hoops with Mega Slam XL basketball hoops at Madison Park through the Richfield Leadership Network along with a percentage going to the Richfield Basketball Association. Nine teams will compete in a bracket with mini-games between the tournament games to keep the energy and enthusiasm going.
Hoops Local has raised over $40,000 over three years with $10,000 from the first (including a $5,000 match from the city of Richfield) before raising $15,000 last year without a match and another $10,000 this year without a match. The 2024 proceeds should cover two new hoops at Madison Park.
In case of rain, tournament director BJ Skoog said Seven Hills Preparatory Academy offered their gym space for the tournament. A decision will be made early Saturday morning.
Jefferson football golf outing
The 24th annual Jefferson Rich Bird Memorial Golf Classic is set for Friday, Aug. 2, with a 1 p.m. shotgun start at Dwan Golf Club. Registration for the four-person 18-hole scramble closes July 19, with dinner and a banquet at Minnesota Valley Country Club. Proceeds raised toward college scholarships surpassed $100,000 this year after starting more than two decades ago with $500, according to Skjei, who added that four fathers of former program players who graduated in the 1990s continue to organize the tournaments. Bird was a longtime offensive line coach for the program.
Info: jeffersonfootballgolfclassic.com
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