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Sonny Smart, the father of University of Georgia head football coach Kirby Smart, died Saturday at the age of 76.
The University of Georgia announced that Smart died as a result of complications during hip surgery: “Sonny fell while walking during the day on New Year’s Eve in New Orleans and fractured his hip. He was hospitalized and underwent hip surgery; unfortunately, complications arose. He fought valiantly but was unable to overcome his injuries.”
Sonny was in New Orleans to watch Kirby coach the Bulldogs in the Sugar Bowl and College Football Playoff quarterfinals against Notre Dame at the Caesars Superdome.
According to ESPN’s Mark SchlabachKirby Smart spent part of New Year’s Day in the hospital with his father after the Sugar Bowl was moved from Jan. 1 to Jan. 2 due to a deadly attack on Bourbon Street.
Kirby returned to the hospital to be with his father following Georgia’s 23-10 loss to Notre Dame on Thursday.
Like Kirby, football was ingrained in Sonny Smart, who played collegiately at Samford University before coaching in the high school ranks.
Per Schlabach, Sonny coached at Bainbridge High School in Georgia, and Kirby played safety for him before moving on to play defensive back at Georgia.
Sonny previously coached football and baseball at Holtville High School in Alabama, and he coached football at Rabun County High in Georgia as well.
Kirby Smart said that he “tried to follow his mantra as a coach,” in reference to Sonny, and that “a lot of my core beliefs came from the way he ran our programs in high school.”
Sonny’s coaching helped Kirby become one of the most successful head coaches in college football, as he led the Bulldogs to national championships in both 2021 and 2022.
