‘I miss him often’: Kirby Smart opens up on impact and legacy left by his dad

In May, Kirby Smart spoke publicly about his father for the first time and shared how he navigated what was a difficult personal time. Georgia’s season came to an end Jan. 2 and his father died Jan. 4.

“Yeah, it was one of the toughest times of my life. And if it wasn’t for him, I probably wouldn’t have been able to get through it,” Smart said in a May appearance on the Paul Finebaum show. “But I know how he would have handled it, and I know how he would have wanted things handled. And our family, my mom, my brother and sister, all did the things that he wanted done, and he kind of went the way he wanted to go, and peacefully.”

The elder Smart also was a football coach, working at the high school ranks in Georgia and Alabama. Sonny Smart coached at Rabun County High School and Bainbridge High School in Georgia. He was able to coach his son at the latter stop.

Kirby Smart often was quick to note how big of an impact his father had on his life. In his reflection with Finebaum, he echoed that sentiment once again.

“We miss him. We miss him often. My mom misses him, but he did a lot for a lot of families,” Smart said. “He was a great high school coach in the state. He was a great high school coach in the state of Alabama. But I am who I am because of him, and I miss him often, but I’m also proud of the legacy he left.

Sonny Smart was a fixture at Georgia games. It was news when he wasn’t able to attend, as was the case at the 2023 College Football Playoff championship game, when Sonny missed the game in Los Angeles. He was recovering from an undisclosed medical issue.

Family always has been an important tenet of Kirby Smart’s life. It helps explain why Georgia has become such a dominant program under his guidance. Consider that he supported Will Muschamp to take a reduced role with the program to be able to watch his son play for Vanderbilt.

Or the bond shared between Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo and his son Drew, who is set to be the team’s starting center next season.

Georgia’s 2025 team has four sets of brothers on the roster. That number could grow next season with the Luckie and Ogboko families as well.

Smart credits his father for showing him how to excel at all the personal dynamics that come with being a football coach.

“I learned a lot from (former Alabama coach) Nick (Saban) in terms of football and management,” Smart said. “I learned a lot from my dad in terms of being a father and being a leader of men, and the example he set for us. He was a Christian man, a deacon in the church growing up. He stayed involved in the church. He led by example, and I think that’s what high school coaches do.

“We’re very fortunate to have some of the people we’ve had in our lives. A lot of people call those people coach.”

Kirby Smart has helped carry on the legacy and memory of his father in his time leading the Georgia program.

It is undoubtedly in a better place that can be traced to the impact Sonny Smart left not just on his own family, but the world.