Sonny Smart, former high school coach and father of Georgia football coach Kirby Smart, dies

Posted by author January 4, 2025 Football

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Sonny Smart, a football coach at two Georgia high schools and father of Georgia football coach Kirby Smart, died early Saturday, the university announced.

Sonny Smart was head coach at Bainbridge from 1988-94, when Kirby played for him, and went on to coach Rabun County from 1995-2003.

Sonny Smart died at 12:15 a.m. Saturday.

He was admitted to a New Orleans hospital after falling while walking on New Year’s Eve day in New Orleans, fracturing his hip, UGA said. He was in the city ahead of Georgia’s Sugar Bowl game against Notre Dame.

Complications arose after undergoing hip surgery.

Sonny Smart was with his wife Sharon, Kirby and children Karl and Kendall when he passed away.

“He fought valiantly but was unable to overcome his injuries,” the school said in a statement.

Smart and his wife Sharon were often spotted postgame on the field to celebrate wins with their son.

“He’s taught me so much just about the way you handle things, the right way, the wrong way,” Kirby Smart said before Georgia played TCU in the national championship game in January 2023, when his father didn’t make the trip to California because of health issues.

“Control the controllables. The moment’s never too big if you’re prepared. And I always watched the way he prepared our teams and our staff in high school. He was a very wise man, a man of few words. I tried to follow his mantra as a coach. I’ve certainly evolved from going to coach for other people, but a lot of my core beliefs came from the way he ran our programs in high school.”

Sonny Smart grew up in Columbia, Ala., near Dothan across the Georgia state line, and walked on and graduated from Samford, where he played center.

Sonny Smart retired in the mountains near Clayton and ran a 55-and-older golf league, according to Rabun County coach Mike Davis.

Sonny Smart wrote in his own words in a Loran Smith column published in the Athens Banner-Herald in 2017: “Coaches and players develop those special bonds, and I had the most enjoyable experience of all by being able to coach my son, Kirby.”

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, a noted Bulldog fan, issued a statement on X, formerly Twitter.

“Marty, the girls, and I are heartbroken to learn of the passing of Sonny Smart,” he said. “An incredible father and husband and a great coach in his own right, he was a constant presence at Georgia football games along with his wife Sharon. Sonny embodied the values and strength that we should all wish to have. We are praying for Sharon, Karl, Kirby, Kendall, and all of their loved ones during this difficult time. We ask that all Georgians join us in keeping them and those tragically impacted earlier this week in New Orleans in our hearts and prayers.”