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Sonny Smart, father of Kirby Smart, passes away after fall in New Orleans
By Andrew Olson
Published:
Sonny Smart, father of Georgia coach Kirby Smart, passed away after a recent fall in New Orleans.
The Georgia football program released a statement announcing the heartbreaking news. Sonny Smart fell on New Year’s Eve in New Orleans. He was hospitalized and had surgery, but was unable to overcome complications that arose.
Sonny Smart passed away on January 4, 2025, at 12:15 a.m., surrounded by his wife, Sharon, and their three children: Karl, Kirby, and Kendall.
“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.
“The Smart family expresses their heartfelt 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 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.
Sonny Smart coached high school football for 23 seasons at Bainbridge High and later Rabun County.
He’s taught me so much just about the way you handle things, the right way, the wrong way,” Kirby Smart said of his father, per the Athens Banner-Herald. “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’s fall occurred before Wednesday, the original date for Georgia’s Sugar Bowl game which was rescheduled to Thursday after the suspected terror attack in the city. Smart was hospitalized and had surgery, but was unable to recover.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
