R.I.P.

Father of Sugar Bowl Head Coach Dies After Suffering Fall Before Game

Georgia Head Coach Kirby Smart led his team in the playoff game before returning to his father’s bedside.

The father of Kirby Smart, head coach for University of Georgia’s football team, died on Saturday after a surgery went wrong, according to the school. Sonny Smart, 76, had suffered a fall in New Orleans shortly before the team played in the Sugar Bowl on Thursday. He fractured his hip and was taken to the hospital for surgery, but died shortly after midnight on Saturday due to complications from the procedure. A statement released by the school said he was surrounded by his wife and children, including Kirby, according to ESPN. “He fought valiantly but was unable to overcome his injuries,” it said. Sonny himself was a high school football coach in Alabama and Georgia, ESPN reported. He was in New Orleans to see his son coach. Kirby led his team in the playoff game, which saw Georgia lose 23-10 to Notre Dame, before returning to his father’s bedside at the hospital, per ESPN. The game had been delayed a day due to the New Year’s Day terror attack in New Orleans that killed 14 and injured dozens more.