Would you believe the coach who recruited Kirby Smart also coached Brent Key?
Even before Mac McWhorter played in the Georgia-Georgia Tech rivalry in the early 1970s or went on to coach for both sides, he possessed what many in this state cannot fathom, let alone cultivate: an appreciation for both teams.
Growing up in Atlanta, he had a great uncle, Bob McWhorter, who was Georgia’s first All-American. But he also had an uncle, Jack Peek, who played at Tech and later coached future Yellow Jackets star Kim King in high school.
“To me, it’s not old-fashioned hate, it’s old-fashioned love,” McWhorter told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Monday.
As we move along in this column without the company of multitudes of Bulldogs and Jackets fans trying to gouge their eyes out in a desperate attempt to unsee the previous sentence, we present an even more convincing rationale for McWhorter’s willing embrace of both sides of Clean Old-Fashioned Hate (or Love?).
When he coached at Georgia from 1991-95 on the staff of Ray Goff, McWhorter recruited a defensive back out of Bainbridge High named Kirby Smart.
When he was an offensive line coach for George O’Leary at Tech from 2000-01, McWhorter was the position coach for a senior guard by the name of Brent Key and then oversaw him the next year as a graduate assistant, his first coaching experience.
Think about that as Tech and Georgia prepare to meet Friday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in one of the more anticipated matchups in series history. McWhorter was both the area recruiter who identified Smart as a prospect (and notably one who described himself last week as a marginal and questionable player) and cleared the way for him to come to Athens and also the coach who trained Key and served as a model for him.
To say that he played an influential role in shaping the present-day rivalry is not at all overstating it. With such impact on Smart and Key’s career paths, along with his having participated in 19 Tech-Georgia games as a Bulldogs player and a coach at both schools, his place in the history of Clean Old-Fashioned Hate is singular. He might be the peak example of what so many in this state possess — connections to both sides of the divide — which is part of what makes the rivalry so great.
Said McWhorter, “The game has always been really special to me.”
And just as McWhorter’s heart for both programs is unusual, he’ll have admirers on both sidelines, as well.
“I love Coach McWhorter,” Smart said last week. “He was the first one that really advocated for me to come to Georgia.”
Key said he learned a lot about coaching from McWhorter, who coached him in his senior year in 2000. According to Key, McWhorter taught in a way that was easy to understand but also effective in its application. His style of interaction likely sounds familiar to anyone familiar with Key’s own methods.
“Just a good person — coached hard but never demeaned anybody and got us to play,” Key told the AJC last week. “I mean, we played hard, played hard for him, and it showed me that you could be a player’s coach and still command respect.”
Decades after their paths first intersected, McWhorter retains a fondness and love for both of his former players. He continues to stay in regular contact with Key, texting on a weekly basis. His loyalties will always remain with his alma mater, but the 75-year-old McWhorter makes a point to watch every Tech game, whether live or recorded. He remembered Key as diligent and hard-nosed.
“He was a leader of our group, and it doesn’t surprise me the way he’s developed into such a good leader for the program,” McWhorter said.
When Key was a GA for him, McWhorter saw the coaching potential in him.
“Oh, sure,” he said. “And he’s really bright, too, real smart. I knew. And he’s a people person. He loves his players and loved his teammates. He and Kirby are very similar in their approach to coaching and life and players because Kirby’s the same way with his guys.”
McWhorter recalled making recruiting visits to Bainbridge and visiting with Smart’s father — the late Sonny Smart, then the Bearcats coach — and seeing how Smart was an overachiever. McWhorter is not surprised at how he has climbed to the top of the coaching ranks.
“I was impressed with his leadership on the team even in high school,” McWhorter said of Smart. “And you could see that just being filtered down from his dad.”
And, having contributed to a national championship — McWhorter was offensive line coach at Texas when the Longhorns won the title in 2005 — he particularly appreciates what Smart has accomplished in winning two national titles and maintaining the Bulldogs’ place among the elite.
“You’re going to get everybody’s best shot,” McWhorter said. “And he’s done a nice job of keeping the program moving in the right direction. I’m real proud of what both of them have done.”
McWhorter now lives in Tomball, Texas, northwest of Houston. He has been married to wife Becky for 42 years and has three children with six grandchildren.
“I’m in good shape,” he said. “I still walk every day and all that stuff. The good Lord’s blessed me.”
Among the blessings: a significant, lasting and unique imprint on a college football rivalry cherished by millions.
About the Author
Ken Sugiura is a sports columnist at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Formerly the Georgia Tech beat reporter, Sugiura started at the AJC in 1998 and has covered a variety of beats, mostly within sports.
