Father of Georgia coach Kirby Smart dies after Sugar Bowl fall

Sonny Smart, the father of Georgia coach Kirby Smart, died early Saturday morning due to complications from hip surgery necessitated after the 76-year-old fell in New Orleans before Thursday’s Sugar Bowl, the university announced.”Sonny fell while walking during the day on New Year’s Eve in New Orleans and fractured his hip,” the statement said. “He was hospitalized and underwent hip surgery; unfortunately, complications arose. He fought valiantly but was unable to overcome his injuries.”Sonny Smart was a longtime high school coach in Alabama and Georgia, including coaching football at Holtville High School in Alabama while also leading the baseball team to the state title in 1982.The University of Georgia said the elder Smart passed away surrounded by his wife, Sharon, and their three children, Karl, Kirby and Kendall.Kirby Smart was able to visit his father in the hospital several times before and after Georgia’s 23-10 loss in the Sugar Bowl, which was postponed from Wednesday to Thursday following a terrorist attack on Bourbon Street early New Year’s Day that killed 14 people and injured dozens more.The Smart family thanked the Ochsner Medical Center staff in New Orleans in the school’s statement.