PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – Florida Atlantic head coach Lane Kiffin said he "wanted to die" after he was fired by the University of Southern California in 2013.
Kiffin, 43, was 28-15 in three-plus seasons at USC before he was infamously fired on the tarmac at Los Angeles International Airport after a 62-41 loss to Arizona State in September 2013.
In the essay, Kiffin reflects on being fired by the NFL's Oakland Raiders midway through his second season, taking over at Tennessee and leaving to take the USC job a year later.
"I could not say no, even though I loved Tennessee," Kiffin wrote.
However, looking back, Kiffin said his fall from grace at USC "was the beginning of God humbling me to the man I am today."
"As my pastor once said, God wasn't punishing me, he was just giving me a wakeup call," Kiffin wrote.
Kiffin described his last season at USC as "brutal." He said he was pulled off the team bus in front of his players at the airport at 3 a.m. to be told he had been fired.
"I don't wish that feeling upon anyone," Kiffin wrote. "I wanted to die, because at the time I was defined by my job."
But, Kiffin said, God "loves a good comeback." That's how he wound up back in coaching as offensive coordinator at Alabama under head coach Nick Saban.
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Florida State vs. Texas A&M: This is pretty obvious. First-year Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher left Florida State after eight seasons for a substantial pay hike (a 10-year, $75 million guaranteed contract), but not necessarily a better team. The Seminoles may have had more talent, but Fisher's last season in Tallahassee was forgettable. FSU fans likely had enough of hearing Fisher complain about facilities, so they turned to former Oregon head coach Willie Taggart to replace him. At his introductory news conference, Taggart called Florida State his "dream job" and spoke about growing up cheering for the Seminoles. Now he gets to lead them. What better way than against the coach who spurned them? FSU hasn't played Texas A&M since a 23-14 win in the 1998 Kickoff Classic.Florida State vs. Oregon: OK, so this is a grudge match. The Seminoles were on the wrong end of a lopsided 59-20 meeting against Oregon in the inaugural College Football Playoff semifinal in the Rose Bowl to conclude the 2014 season, ending Florida State's 29-game winning streak. Although Taggart only spent the 2017 season at Oregon, now seems as good of a time as ever for a payback game.Texas vs. Texas A&M: This once storied rivalry has been dormant since 2012. Texas and Texas A&M met annually from 1915-2011, but it came to an end when the Aggies bolted for the Southeastern Conference. Texas won 12 of the last 17 games between the state rivals, including the final meeting -- a 27-25 victory in College Station on a game-winning field goal as time expired. A Texas legislator filed a bill in an effort to force the teams to play, but it died in committee. Like most things in Texas, this game just feels bigger with A&M's Fisher and Texas head coach Tom Herman at the helm of the programs.Florida vs. Miami: The good news is fans of both teams won't have to wait much longer. Florida and Miami are slated to open the 2019 season in Orlando, but beyond that, the future is uncertain. This rivalry actually predates Florida-Florida State or FSU-Miami, but it's only been played intermittently since 1987, when the Gators dropped Miami from the schedule. Since then, the Hurricanes own a 5-1 record against Florida, including a 21-16 win at home in 2013. Wouldn't it be great to see both teams playing in Gainesville and South Florida on a regular basis again?Florida vs. Ohio State: Remember when Urban Meyer resigned as Florida's head coach after the 2010 season to focus on his "family and life away from the field," only to reemerge at Ohio State a year later? Yeah, so do Gators. "I didn't feel right," Meyer said after accepting the Ohio State job. "But I feel fantastic now." It's hard not to when the Buckeyes are a combined 73-8 in his six seasons in charge. Of course, the Gators got their aggression out in a 24-17 Gator Bowl win to cap the 2011 season. Meyer had already been named head coach, but interim coach Luke Fickell led the Buckeyes that day. Meyer's Gators beat the Buckeyes to win the 2006 national championship, when new head coach Dan Mullen was Florida's offensive coordinator. Ohio State later won the 2014 national title under Meyer.Clemson vs. Georgia: This classic southern rivalry was a regular fixture on both teams' schedules. Clemson and Georgia met all but twice from 1962-87, but only eight times since. The last home-and-home series was during the 2013-14 seasons. Georgia leads the series 42-18-4 all-time, including a 45-21 win in the last meeting. Despite the lopsided history, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney recently said he'd "have no problem" if the Tigers played Georgia annually. So what's the problem?Pittsburgh vs. West Virginia: The "Backyard Brawl" needs to be played. This border war was played annually from 1944-2011, but the long-running rivalry was discontinued when West Virginia left the old Big East Conference in favor of the Big 12 Conference. Pittsburgh later joined the Atlantic Coast Conference, creating a scheduling conflict for both schools. The Mountaineers outlasted Pittsburgh 21-20 in the final meeting, but the Panthers hold a 61-40-3 edge since the first meeting in 1895. Both schools, located about 70 miles apart, agreed to a four-game series from 2022-25, but it really shouldn't take that long, should it?Nebraska vs. Oklahoma: This once-important rivalry began when Nebraska and Oklahoma were members of the defunct Big Eight Conference and later the Big 12. This game often decided the Big Eight's Orange Bowl representative. Then there was the 1978 season, when the Cornhuskers beat Oklahoma but lost to the Sooners in the Orange Bowl rematch. After the 'Huskers and Sooners were split into the Big 12's North and South divisions, respectively, they only met 10 times, twice in the conference championship game. Oklahoma won both, including a 23-20 victory in 2010. Nebraska left for the Big Ten Conference in 2011. The rivalry is coming back briefly for a home-and-home series in 2021-22 and 2029-30, but the future beyond that is uncertain.Florida Atlantic vs. Southern California: Lane Kiffin has found new life as a head coach at Florida Atlantic. Kiffin spurned Tennessee after a 7-6 season in 2009 for Southern California, leading the Trojans to a 28-15 overall record before he was fired on the tarmac after a 62-41 loss to Arizona State just five games into the 2013 season. He spent three seasons as Alabama's offensive coordinator under Nick Saban before FAU came calling. The Owls had their best season in school history under Kiffin, finishing with an 11-3 record, a Conference USA championship and a victory in the Boca Raton Bowl. Boca Raton has already given Kiffin a key to the city. Maybe it will unlock a game against his former employer.Alabama vs. Central Florida: Alabama beat Georgia last season to win the College Football Playoff National Championship. Central Florida beat Auburn to win the Peach Bowl. Auburn handed Alabama its only loss of the season, while UCF finished undefeated. Auburn beat Georgia in the regular season but lost to the Bulldogs in the SEC title game. Therefore, the Knights are the 2017 national champions. At least that's the way UCF athletic director Danny White sees it. The team was rewarded with national championship rings and a sign touting such at UCF's stadium. Prove it. Play this game and see which team wins. The Knights are actually 1-0 against Alabama, beating the Crimson Tide 40-38 in Tuscaloosa in 2000.
Florida State vs. Texas A&M: This is pretty obvious. First-year Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher left Florida State after eight seasons for a substantial pay hike (a 10-year, $75 million guaranteed contract), but not necessarily a better team. The Seminoles may have had more talent, but Fisher's last season in Tallahassee was forgettable. FSU fans likely had enough of hearing Fisher complain about facilities, so they turned to former Oregon head coach Willie Taggart to replace him. At his introductory news conference, Taggart called Florida State his "dream job" and spoke about growing up cheering for the Seminoles. Now he gets to lead them. What better way than against the coach who spurned them? FSU hasn't played Texas A&M since a 23-14 win in the 1998 Kickoff Classic.
"When God gives you a second chance, it's not something you take for granted," Kiffin wrote.
Kiffin spoke of his "tarnished" reputation and how Saban made him a better coach.
The second-year FAU coach said he has had a "spiritual rebirth" since arriving in Boca Raton in December 2016.
"My journey has humbled me, and as a result I'm not this larger than life figure that people made me out to be," Kiffin wrote.
Kiffin said he may not be recruiting five-star athletes at FAU, "but they are five-star people."
"They listen better than any other players I've had before, probably because their approach to life is completely different," Kiffin said.
That's saying something, considering Kiffin has coached USC running back Reggie Bush, USC quarterback Matt Barkley and Alabama running back Derrick Henry, among others.
Kiffin orchestrated an impressive turnaround at FAU in his first season on campus, leading the Owls to an 11-3 record, their first-ever Conference USA championship and a 50-3 victory over Akron in the Boca Raton Bowl.
"I don't like to focus too much on my past, because then it stops becoming your past and starts to become your present," Kiffin said. "However, my story is a special exception, because it shows people that it's never too late to rediscover God, and that we can overcome anything in our past."
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