Remembering a Bainbridge Great, Sonny Smart
Published 1:22 pm Saturday, January 4, 2025
“I always observed how he prepared our teams and staff during my high school days,” Kirby mentioned. “He was a man of great wisdom, yet few words. I've tried to adopt his principles as a coach.”(Photo by Donal Ariall)
Photo submitted by Donal Ariall.
Photo submitted by Donal Ariall.
Photo submitted by Donal Ariall.
Photo submitted by Donal Ariall.
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Sonny Smart, former head football coach at Bainbridge from 1988-1994 and father of Georgia football coach Kirby Smart, died January 4, 2025, early Saturday morning, according to the University of Georgia. He was admitted into a New Orleans hospital after falling while walking on New Year’s Eve, fracturing his hip well in Mardi Gras City with his wife to watch their son coach Georgia in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Sugar Bowl.
Complications arose after undergoing hip surgery. Sonny was with his wife Sharon, and children Kirby, Karl, and Kendall when he passed away.
The Smart family conveyed their deep appreciation to the Ochsner Hospital and medical team for the outstanding care given to Sonny. “They request your ongoing prayers for all those impacted by the tragic events that unfolded in the early hours of New Year’s Day,” the statement from the Smart family noted. “They value everyone’s thoughtful prayers and now seek God’s comfort, strength, and guidance.”
“Sonny Smart touched many people in his life, Southeast Conference Commissioner Greg Sankey said. “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.”
Sonny was a well-established high school football coach for 33 years in the states of Alabama and Georgia, coaching at Holtville, Bainbridge, where he was Kirby’s first coach, and Rabun County, North Georgia. Smart was inducted into the Decatur County Sports Hall on Fame in March, 2019.
In 1982, Smart relocated across the state line to Bainbridge where he became the defensive coordinator of the Bearcats, in route to an undefeated State Championship run by defeating Gainesville High. Sonny took the head coach position for the Bainbridge Bearcats in 1988, where he guided his son along with several other exceptional players.
During Smart’s tenure as head football coach the Bearcats advanced to the region playoffs in 1990, 1993, and 1994 well in the process of moving to the largest classification in Georgia during that period Region 1-4A.
In 1993, Coach Smart led Bainbridge football to the Region 1-4A Championship and a State Semifinal appearance. Sonny was chosen as Region Coach of the Year and Athletic Director of the Year in ’93.
Later, he transitioned to Rabun County to lead that impressive football program before retiring, focusing on family, finding the Georgia Mountain Senior Golf Association where they play 20 golf tournaments yearly, and his son’s bright future as the head coach of the University of Georgia.
Kirby Smart once told ESPN Senior writer Ryan McGee about his father, “I know people probably don’t think a high school coach could steer the way you run a college program like Georgia’s. But that’s only because they don’t know my Dad and saw how he ran our high school teams.”
Sonny was a regular figure in the Georgia program, frequently attending games. However, he was less involved with the team in the last two years due to heart issues. When he missed the 2023 national championship game, Kirby reflected on how his father had influenced his coaching style.
“I always observed how he prepared our teams and staff during my high school days,” Kirby mentioned. “He was a man of great wisdom, yet few words. I’ve tried to adopt his principles as a coach.”
