Smart squeezes some football talk in among thoughts of his father, impact, and making sure not to take people for granted before they're gone (and honorees)
By Michael A. Lough
The Sports Report
centralgasports@gmail.com
Come back to Wednesday’s Central Georgia Sports Report for more on Kirby Smart’s visit and football talk
The connection was unintended, but clear, the tying together of generations and football.
At a table Monday night at the Macon Touchdown Club’s jamboree at the Methodist Home for Children and Youth was one of the newest additions to the Georgia football staff sitting with his grandfather, one of the most renowned coaches in Bibb County history.
Georgia head football coach Kirby Smart introduced Ty Hatcher, son of Mount de Sales grad and current Samford head coach Chris Hatcher, and grandson of Edgar Hatcher, a Touchdown Club and Bibb County football stalwart for decades upon decades.
That soon steered Smart toward a father-son story and the importance establishing and firming relationships, whether as a coach, up and coming player, in athletics or not, just life in general, and keeping dreams alive.
He recently had a night-time drive from north Atlanta back to Athens and called his mom, ostensibly to help keep him alert on the drive after a long day.
Sonny Smart was a longtime high school coach in Georgia, making a name in Bainbridge, thanks in part to son Kirby. Back then, the son’s vision for the future was limited.
“I wanted to be a Bainbridge Bearcat, and that's all I knew,” he said. “I didn't have time to cheer for Florida State or Auburn or Georgia or Georgia Tech. All I knew was on Friday night, I was going to be in purple and gold, I was going to go out and watch my dad's team play, and the best players on the team were the ones I wanted to be around.”
The father watched the son go so much father than that – although he barely squeezed in to get a scholarship at Georgia - and they sat together in New Orleans a few months ago before Georgia played Notre Dame. A day later, Sonny fell and underwent surgery, but he didn’t survive assorted complications from the operation.
Smart’s Georgia career took a year to get started, which was fine with him.
“I had no expectation,” he said. “I was happy to be there. Didn't dress the whole year, just wanted to contribute first game of my redshirt freshman year.”
His debut featured three sacks of South Carolina quarterback Steve Taneyhill. The dad remembered a call – which he related decades later during a talk to a local civic club in Bainbridge – the night before the game that the son didn’t recall.
Clockwise, from top left: Macon Touchdown Club vice president Jon Beck, Edgar Hatcher, and Northeast’s Nick Woodford; Beck and Southwest’s Rinarlo Callaway; Northeast head coach Jeremy Wiggins, Stratford’s Stebin Horne; Bowdon head coach Rich Fendley, formerly of Warner Robins, with Bryant Longshore of the Macon Touchdown Club.
Photos: Michael A. Lough/Central Georgia Sports Report
“I said, ‘Dad, you realize I've realized one of my dreams when I run on that field tomorrow, that everybody said I couldn't do, everybody doubted me. Dreams do come true.’”
Smart had a good career at Georgia, but was abruptly told that no, an NFL career was not waiting for him.
“At a relatively young age at 22 years old, which is really close to the peak of your playing career,” Smart related. “I was told, ‘You're not going to play in the National Football League, so you need to find another career.’”
That career was coaching, and soon, Smart’s dream was to become a defensive coordinator in the SEC. The road to the destination was a thorough and unexpected one, with decisions that were gambles and paid off.
“I said, ‘If I can get to be defensive coordinator of the SEC, I will consider myself a success, I'll be happy,’” he said.
It all touched back to the phone call that night not long ago with his mother. She had gone through Sonny’s cell phone, and found the her husband had recorded a message to himself, verbal notes for that speech in 2018, about half an hour’s worth.
“I listened to it over and over again,” Smart said. “His message was dreams do come true, and to hear him speak of a little boy that grew up middle-class family, mom and dad both educators, worked in the school system …
“(I) saw my dad coach football players just like I was … for all those years and they were my heroes.”
Sonny Smart talked about how close Georgia was that season, losing in overtime to Alabama for the national championship.
“I'm sitting here thinking. my dad went down there and gave this speech and talked about how close we were, and he knew it would get done,” Smart said. “Little did I know it would happen twice before he passed away, and he was very fortunate to be at one of those games and be able to watch the second one.
“That meant the world to me, that he said that to them in 2018 and forecasted what would happen in years to come, which makes me very proud and honored.”
Little Kirby saw the impact his dad had, and eventually – expedited by the NFL turning him down – wanted to be in the same position.
“My mom hears all the stories of all the different people he impacted and all his former players who have now reached out,” Smartt said. “So it becomes a lot more impactful to you when you lose someone. Don’t make losing someone require you to say you appreciate them. Say that on your own, say it the right way.
“Listening to my dad's voice made me realize we take each other in our relationships for granted,” he said. “So, somebody is responsible for getting you young men here tonight, whether it's a coach, an aunt, uncle, grandfather, grandmama or mama or daddy.
“Somebody helped get you to where you are now. People in the audience, somebody you're connected to, you don't know the last time you're going to see them.”
🏈🏈🏈
Bobby Gene Sanders Memorial Scholarships
Asa Wood, Covenant; Brooks Garner, Stratford; Donald Williams, Howard; Nate Frankum, Mount de Sales; William Stuart, Tattnall Square
OrthoGeorgia / Edgar Hatcher Back of the Year (2-time winner)
Nick Woodford, Northeast
OrthoGeorgia / Bill Turner Lineman of the Year
Rinaldo Callaway, Southwest
OrthoGeorgia / Special Teams Player of the Year
Stebin Horne, Stratford
Marvin Davis (local) Coach of the Year (3-time winner)
Jeremy Wiggins, Northeast
Bobby Pope (state) Coach of the Year (3 straight state titles
Rich Fendley, Bowdon
Elmo A Richardson (state) Player of the Year
WR Ryan Mosley, Carrollton
“Super 7” honorees (uncommitted juniors)
RB Jae Lamar, Colquitt County; S Jordan Smith, Houston County; TE Kaiden Prothro, Bowdon; WR Kavon Conciauro, Houston County; OL Parker Pritchett, Carver-Columbus; WR Rodney Dunbar, Thomas County Central.