Kirby Smart facts for kids
Smart in 2023
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| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Title | Head coach |
| Team | Georgia |
| Conference | SEC |
| Record | 105–19 |
| Annual salary | $13 million |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | December 23, 1975 Montgomery, Alabama, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of Georgia |
| Playing career | |
| 1995–1998 | Georgia |
| 1999 | Indianapolis Colts |
| Position(s) | Defensive back |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1999 | Georgia (admin. asst.) |
| 2000 | Valdosta State (DB) |
| 2001 | Valdosta State (DC) |
| 2002–2003 | Florida State (GA) |
| 2004 | LSU (DB) |
| 2005 | Georgia (RB) |
| 2006 | Miami Dolphins (S) |
| 2007 | Alabama (AHC/DB) |
| 2008–2015 | Alabama (DC) |
| 2016–present | Georgia |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 105–19 |
| Bowls | 9–3 |
| Tournaments | 5–2 (CFP) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
2x National (2021, 2022)
4x SEC (2009, 2012, 2014, 2015) 5× SEC Western Division (2008, 2009, 2012–2015) |
|
| Awards | |
3× SEC Coach of the Year (2017, 2021, 2022) George Munger Award (2017)
AFCA Assistant Coach of the Year (2012)
Second-team All-SEC (1997) |
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Kirby Paul Smart (born December 23, 1975) is a famous American football coach and former player. He is currently the head coach for the University of Georgia football team. This is his old college, where he used to play! As head coach, he led the Bulldogs to win two national championships in a row, in 2021 and 2022.
Contents
Early Life and Playing Days
Kirby Smart was born in Montgomery, Alabama. He grew up in Bainbridge, Georgia. His dad, Sonny Smart, was a high school football coach. He even coached Kirby when he was in high school!
Kirby played college football at the University of Georgia. He was a strong defensive back for four years. He was even chosen for the All-SEC team in his senior year. He made 13 interceptions during his college career. This was one of the best records at Georgia! He also did well in school, making the SEC Academic Honor Roll four times.
After college, Kirby tried out for the Indianapolis Colts in the NFL. He played in the preseason but didn't make the team for the regular season.
Coaching Career
Starting Out as a Coach
Kirby Smart began his coaching journey at the University of Georgia in 1999. He worked as an assistant. Then, he moved to Valdosta State. There, he coached defensive backs for one year. He was then promoted to defensive coordinator in 2001.
From 2002 to 2003, Smart worked at Florida State. He was a graduate assistant while also earning his master's degree. In 2004, he coached defensive backs at LSU under coach Nick Saban.
Smart returned to the Georgia Bulldogs in 2005. He coached running backs for one season. In 2006, he coached safeties for the Miami Dolphins in the NFL. He worked with Nick Saban again there.
Coaching at Alabama
In 2007, Kirby Smart joined Nick Saban at the University of Alabama. He became an assistant coach. In 2008, he was promoted to defensive coordinator. This meant he was in charge of the team's defense.
In 2009, Smart won the Broyles Award. This award goes to the best assistant coach in the country. His defense helped Alabama win the BCS National Championship that year.
Smart stayed with Alabama and helped them win more championships. They won in 2011, 2012, and 2015. He was recognized as the AFCA FBS Assistant Coach of the Year in 2012. He became one of the highest-paid defensive coordinators in college football.
Head Coach at Georgia
On December 6, 2015, Kirby Smart became the head football coach at the University of Georgia. This was a big moment, as it was his old college team!
Many of Smart's assistant coaches have gone on to become head coaches themselves. This shows how good he is at developing coaching talent.
2016 Season
In his first year as head coach, Smart led Georgia to an 8–5 record. They won their first game against #22 North Carolina. The Bulldogs also beat #8 Auburn. The season ended with a victory over TCU in the Liberty Bowl.
2017 Season
The 2017 season was amazing for Georgia. They started 9–0, which was their best start since 1982. They won the SEC East division. Then, they won the SEC title, their first since 2005.
Georgia played Oklahoma in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Rose Bowl. They came back from a big deficit to win 54–48 in double overtime! They then played Alabama in the National Championship Game. Georgia lost a close game 26–23 in overtime. Smart was named SEC Coach of the Year for this great season.
2018 Season
In 2018, Georgia finished the regular season with an 11–1 record. They won the SEC Eastern Division again. However, they lost to Alabama in the SEC Championship game. Georgia then played in the Sugar Bowl but lost to Texas.
2019 Season
The 2019 season saw Georgia achieve an 11–1 regular season record. They had big wins against Notre Dame and Florida. They won the SEC East for the third year in a row. But they lost to LSU in the SEC Championship game. Georgia ended the season with a win over Baylor in the Sugar Bowl.
2020 Season
The 2020 season was shorter because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Georgia finished with a 7–2 record. They had losses to Alabama and Florida. The Bulldogs finished second in the SEC East. They won the Peach Bowl against Cincinnati.
2021 Season
The 2021 season was historic! Georgia went undefeated in the regular season (12–0). They lost to Alabama in the SEC Championship. But they still made it to the College Football Playoff.
Georgia beat Michigan in the semifinal at the Orange Bowl. Then, they faced Alabama again in the National Championship game. This time, Georgia won 33–18! This was their first national championship since 1980. Kirby Smart became the first former assistant of Nick Saban to beat him. He was also named SEC Coach of the Year again.
2022 Season
In July 2022, Kirby Smart signed a huge contract. It made him the highest-paid coach in college football! The 2022 season started with Georgia ranked #3. They beat #11 Oregon in their first game. Georgia then became the #1 team.
They finished the regular season undefeated (12–0) once more. They beat LSU in the SEC Championship game. Georgia then won a very close game against Ohio State in the Peach Bowl. In the National Championship game, Georgia crushed TCU 65–7. This made Kirby Smart a back-to-back national champion coach! He was named SEC Coach of the Year for the third time.
2023 Season
Before the 2023 season, Georgia was ranked #1. Smart led the Bulldogs to a record-breaking 29-game win streak. This was the longest in SEC history! They finished the regular season 12–0.
The win streak ended with a loss to Alabama in the SEC Championship Game. Because of this loss, Georgia didn't make the College Football Playoff. They played Florida State in the Orange Bowl instead. Georgia won 63–3, setting a record for the largest win in a major bowl game!
2024 Season
In May 2024, Smart signed another big contract. It made him the highest-paid coach in college football history again! He earned his 100th career win as head coach against #1 Texas. Georgia finished the regular season 10–2. They won the SEC conference title in a rematch against Texas. Georgia earned the #2 spot in the College Football Playoff. However, they lost to Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl.
Personal Life
Kirby Smart is married to Mary "Beth" Elizabeth Lycett. She used to play basketball for the University of Georgia. They have three children together.
Kirby's father, Sonny Smart, passed away on January 4, 2025.
Head Coaching Record
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | Coaches# | AP° | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia Bulldogs (Southeastern Conference) (2016–present) | |||||||||
| 2016 | Georgia | 8–5 | 4–4 | T–2nd (Eastern) | W Liberty | ||||
| 2017 | Georgia | 13–2 | 7–1 | 1st (Eastern) | W Rose†, L CFP NCG† | 2 | 2 | ||
| 2018 | Georgia | 11–3 | 7–1 | 1st (Eastern) | L Sugar† | 8 | 7 | ||
| 2019 | Georgia | 12–2 | 7–1 | 1st (Eastern) | W Sugar† | 4 | 4 | ||
| 2020 | Georgia | 8–2 | 7–2 | 2nd (Eastern) | W Peach† | 7 | 7 | ||
| 2021 | Georgia | 14–1 | 8–0 | 1st (Eastern) | W Orange †, W CFP NCG† | 1 | 1 | ||
| 2022 | Georgia | 15–0 | 8–0 | 1st (Eastern) | W Peach†, W CFP NCG† | 1 | 1 | ||
| 2023 | Georgia | 13–1 | 8–0 | 1st (Eastern) | W Orange† | 3 | 4 | ||
| 2024 | Georgia | 11–3 | 6–2 | T–2nd | L Sugar† | 6 | 6 | ||
| Georgia: | 105–19 | 62–11 | |||||||
| Total: | 105–19 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
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