Sonny Smart Wikipedia, Age, Career and Cause of Death. He was the father of Kirby Smart, the head coach of the University of Georgia. Sonny Smart died after having problems with surgery after he fell. He was 76 years old.
Smart hurt himself in New Orleans, where his family had gathered for the Sugar Bowl, which Kirby’s Bulldogs lost. He was taken to the hospital and had surgery, but he did not make it.
After the tragedy, the Smart family said in a statement through Georgia that they were “heartfeltly grateful to the Ochsner hospital and medical staff for the exceptional care provided to Sonny.”
“Also, they ask that you continue to pray for those affected by the terrible events that happened early on New Year’s Day,” the statement said.
“The Smart family is grateful for everyone’s prayers and thoughts. They now pray for God’s comfort, strength, and direction.”
The late Sonny Smart left behind his wife Sharon and their three children, Karl, Kirby, and Kendall. He was a famous high school coach in Georgia.
Sonny Smart Wikipedia
Smart was born in Columbia, Alabama, in 1948. He grew up in a family that loved sports, and he became interested in football at a young age.
Before playing college football at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, where he was a centre, he went to Houston County High School. After Sonny Smart graduated from Samford, he became a teacher for over 15 years, mostly at the high school level.
Career
His first job as a coach was at Holtsville High School in Alabama, where he was the head baseball coach and also worked as an offensive and defensive line coach. He was Holtville High School’s coach for 10 years and led them to regional wins in 1980 and 1981. They won a state baseball title in 1982 as a coach.
He was put in charge of defence at Bainbridge High School in Georgia in 1982. A great defence led by Smart helped Bainbridge win the first state title in its history that year. Gainesville lost to Bainbridge in the Class 3A championship game, but Bainbridge only gave up 8.3 points per game.
He was the head football coach at Bainbridge from 1988 to 1992. His son, Kirby Smart, played on the team and was taught by him. Sonny taught at Bainbridge for more than six years and put together a strong, skilled team that helped many future NFL stars grow. His son, Kirby Smart, was an all-state defensive back for his team in 1993, which went 10-3 and made it to the Class 4A semifinals.
After his time at Bainbridge, Sonny Smart was a coach at Rabun County High School from 1995 to 2003. Rabun had never won a state playoff game before Smart led them to two rounds deep in the 1998 playoffs, after an 11-2 regular season. The team from 1998 was the first in school history to win an area title.
Smart became famous as a legendary high school teacher because he worked hard and stayed in the job for a long time. When he was done in Georgia, he had a record of 90 wins and 78 losses.
Personal Life
He was married to Sharon Smart and had three kids with her: Kirby, Karl, and Kendall. Family was very important to Sonny, and he often talked about how important strong family values were, both on and off the field. His friendship with Kirby had a big impact; Kirby often said that his father had shaped how he coached and lived his life.
Smart’s coaching philosophy stresses being ready and not giving up. He taught these ideas to his son, who then used them in his coaching job.
Cause of Death
After a fall in New Orleans, Sonny Smart had surgery on his hip, but things went wrong and he died on January 4, 2025.
Smart broke his hip when he tripped and fell on New Year’s Eve. He was in the hospital and had surgery on his hip at Ochsner Medical Center, where he also died with his family around him.
It was not only Sonny Smart who had a great career but also his son Kirby Smart, who is now the head coach of the University of Georgia Bulldogs and is one of the most successful college football coaches in the country.
Kirby thinks a lot about the lessons he learned from his father, who taught him values like honesty, hard work, and being ready.