Sonny Smart, the father of Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart, passed away early Saturday. Among many others, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey sent his condolences.
Greg Sankey Joins College Football World in Mourning the Loss of Sonny Smart
Sonny passed away early Saturday morning following complications due to a hip surgery he underwent after a fall before the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.
Sonny was a longtime high school football coach in Alabama and Georgia. He was 76.
SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey was one of many who sent condolences to the Smart family.
“Sonny Smart touched many people in his life, and we are saddened to learn of his passing. I had the privilege to visit with Sonny many times and enjoyed every conversation. Our sympathies go out to Kirby Smart and his family and to all who knew his dad.”
In early 2023, Kirby had this say about his father.
“He’s taught me so much just about the way you handle things, the right way, the wrong way. Control the controllables. The moment’s never too big if you’re prepared.”
“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.”
According to a statement released by the University of Georgia, as he passed, Sonny was surrounded by his wife, Sharon, and three children, Karl, Kirby, and Kendall.
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