Father's health issues will keep Kirby Smart's parents from national championship game
LOS ANGELES — Kirby Smart’s parents, Sonny and Sharon, have been a regular presence after Georgia football victories whether on the field following wins or even sitting at a postgame press conference.
They won’t be at Monday’s national championship game against TCU at SoFi Stadium, the Georgia coach said on Saturday.
Sonny Smart has been dealing with “some medical stuff,” according to his son.
“He's a really special man to me,” Smart said. “Unfortunately, he's not going to be able to make it to the game. …It hurts me that he and my mom won't be here. But I know it's the right decision for him. He's been at almost every, in terms of home game in Athens, playoff games. It's tough that he's not able to make it. Nothing worse than watching your parents grow old. It's like taxes; it's inevitable. They're going to get old. And that's been tough.”
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Sonny Smart coached high school football for 23 years at Bainbridge High in south Georgia—including when his son played safety for him-- and later at Rabun County where he retired.
“He's taught me so much just about the way you handle things, the right way, the wrong way,” Kirby Smart said. “Control the controllables. The moment's never too big if you're prepared. And I always watched the way he prepared our teams and our staff in high school. 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.”
Sonny Smart also did not attend Georgia’s Peach Bowl win over Ohio State on Dec. 31 in Atlanta, but did attend the SEC championship win over LSU on Dec. 3.
Kirby Smart said he talked to his father about the win over LSU by phone.
“I wanted to call him that night, but he was already in bed by the time it got to that point,” Smart said. "So the next afternoon, on the way home, got to call him and talk.”
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This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Georgia coach Kirby Smart's father will miss 2nd playoff game in a row
