University of Georgia football coach Kirby is smartits father, Sony is smart, has died He was 76 years old.
Sonny fell in New Orleans, where he had traveled to visit UGA Bulldogs Play Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl. (The championship game was postponed from New Year's Day to Thursday, January 2, after a Texas man intentionally drove a rented truck through a crowd on Bourbon Street, killing 14 people. The driver was later killed in a police shootout.)
“(Sonny) was hospitalized and underwent hip surgery; Unfortunately, complications have arisen,” said a statement released by UGA on Saturday, Jan. 4, per ESPN. “He fought valiantly but could not overcome his injuries. The Smart family expresses their sincere gratitude to the Ochsner Hospital and medical staff for the exceptional care provided to Sonny."
"Additionally, they ask for your continued prayers for those affected by the tragic events that occurred early on New Year's Day," the statement added. The Smart family values everyone's thoughts and prayers and prays for God's comfort, strength and guidance now."
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Sonny is survived by his wife, sharonand their three children: Carl, Kirby and Kendall. Kirby, 49, spent part of New Year's Day at his father's bedside before returning to game day obligations. Finally the UGA football team Lost to Notre Dame 23-10.
Sonny was a former football star, having previously played for Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama before becoming the coach at local Holtville High School. He coached for Bainbridge High, where son Kirby played safety, and Rabun County High.
Kirby was candid about their father-son relationship.
"He taught me a lot about how you handle things, the right way, the wrong way," Kirby previously told reporters in January 2023. "Control the controllable. The moment is never too big if you're prepared. And I've always seen the way he prepared our team and our staff in high school."
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The collegiate coach added at the time, “He was a very wise man, a man of few words. I tried to follow his mantra as a coach. I definitely 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."
D College football community Expressed grief through social media.
"Marty, the girls and I are heartbroken to hear of Sonny Smart's passing," Brian KempGovernor of Georgia, wrote through X Saturday "An incredible father and husband and a great coach in his own right, he was a regular at Georgia football games with his wife, Sharon. Sonny embodied the values and strength that we should all have. We miss Sharon, Carl, Kirby, Kendall during this difficult time. And praying for their loved ones.”
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