Sonny Smart, the father of Kirby Smart, head coach of the University of Georgia football team, passed away following a fall on New Year’s Eve.
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A spokesperson for the University of Georgia per ESPN announced that Smart passed away at 12:15 a.m. on Saturday. He was surrounded by his wife, Sharon, and their three children: Karl, Kirby, and Kendall.
Smart was in New Orleans for the team’s Sugar Bowl appearance when he suffered a fall while walking. According to the school, he fractured his hip and was subsequently hospitalized. Following surgery, complications arose, and UGA confirmed that Smart tragically passed away.
“Sonny fell while walking during the day on New Year’s Eve in New Orleans and fractured his hip,” the school explained in the statement. “He underwent hip surgery; unfortunately, complications arose. He fought valiantly but was unable to overcome his injuries.”
Tragic news: Kirby Smart’s father, Sonny, passed away early this morning after complications from surgery from a fall he suffered on New Year’s Eve in New Orleans.
— Miles Garrett (@MilesGarrettTV) January 4, 2025
Prayers for the Smart family. pic.twitter.com/rhKkvurgmQ
Kirby Smart spent part of New Year’s Day at the hospital with his father after the Sugar Bowl was postponed to Thursday. The delay came after the tragic attack on Bourbon Street, where a pickup truck driver killed 14 people and injured dozens more.
The Georgia coach went back to the hospital soon after the Bulldogs lost 23-10 to Notre Dame in a CFP quarterfinal on Thursday.
Kirby Smart Thanks Hospital Staff Following the Passing of His Father
The Smart family conveyed their heartfelt gratitude to the staff at Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans for their care and support.
“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 statement read. “The Smart family treasures everyone’s thoughts and prayers and now prays for God’s comfort, strength, and guidance.”
Sonny Smart played football at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. After news of his passing, Samford honored his memory, calling him “a proud alumnus.”
Samford Football extends its heartfelt condolences and prayers to the Smart family on the passing of Sonny Smart.
— Samford Football (@SamfordFootball) January 4, 2025
Sonny played center for the Bulldogs and was a proud alumnus of our university.#HatchAttack | #AllForSAMford pic.twitter.com/bziQDxavsO
He served as a football coach at Holtville High School in Alabama. He also guided their baseball team to a state championship in 1982. Later, he took on coaching roles at Bainbridge High School in Georgia, mentoring Kirby Smart, who played safety under his guidance. He also coached at Rabun County High School in North Georgia.
“He’s taught me so much just about the way you handle things. The right way, the wrong way,” Kirby Smart said of his dad last year, per ESPN. “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,” he continued. “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.”