Skip to contentPhysical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Kirby Smart
Todd Kirkland/Getty ImagesUniversity of Georgia football coach Kirby Smartfather, Sonny Smart, has died He was 76 years old.
Sonny had suffered a fall in New Orleans, where he had traveled to watch the UGA Bulldogs play Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl. (The championship game was postponed from New Year’s Day until Thursday, January 2, after a Texas man deliberately drove a rental truck through a crowd on Bourbon Street and killed 14 individuals. The driver was later killed in a shooting by the police.)
“(Sonny) was in hospital and had an operation on her hip; unfortunately, complications arose,” read a Saturday, Jan. 4 statement released by UGA, per ESPN. “He fought bravely but was unable to overcome his injuries. The Smart family expresses their heartfelt thanks to the Ochsner hospital and the medical staff for the exceptional care provided to Sonny.”
The statement continued, “In addition, they ask for your continued prayers for those affected by the tragic events that occurred in the early hours of New Year’s Day. The Smart family treasures everyone’s thoughts and prayers and now prays for God’s comfort, strength and guidance.”
Football fans have mourned a heartbreaking loss of NFL stars in 2024. In February, Tony Hutson died at the age of 48, according to an obituary shared at the time. No cause of death was given. “Lost one of my favorite teammates and great friends in Tony Hutson last night,” Hutson’s former teammate Randall Godfrey wrote (…)
Sonny is survived by his wife, Sharonand their three children: Karl, Kirby and Kendall. Kirby, 49, spent part of New Year’s Day at his father’s bedside before returning to match day duties. The ultimate UGA football team lost to Notre Dame 23-10.
Sonny was a former football star, before playing for Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, before becoming a coach at the local Holtville High School. She also coached at Bainbridge High, where her son Kirby played safety, and Rabun County High.
Kirby has been candid about their father-son relationship.
“It’s taught me so much about the way you handle things, the right way, the wrong way,” Kirby previously told reporters in January 2023. “Control the controllables. The moment is never too big if you are ready. And I always watched the way he prepared our teams and staff in high school.”
Getty Images (4) Sometimes sport has a way of pulling at our heartstrings – and 2024 had more than its share of special moments. In baseball, World Series MVP Freddie Freeman returned to the Los Angeles Dodgers to a standing ovation after leaving the team to care for his son in the ICU, (…)
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’ve certainly evolved from going to coach other people, but a lot of my core beliefs came from the way he ran our programs in high school.”
The college football community have expressed their condolences through social media.
“Marty, the girls and I are heartbroken to hear of the death of Sonny Smart,” Brian Kempgovernor of Georgia, who wrote via X on Saturday. “An amazing 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 we should all aspire to have. We are praying for Sharon, Karl, Kirby, Kendall and all their loved ones during this difficult time.”
