Who is Kirby Smart? Everything you need to know about the American football coach
Managing a football team requires diverse talents and substantial knowledge of the game. Apart from being tactically astute, managers should work individually with players to motivate and discipline them. Coach Kirby Smart has proven his ability to make intelligent substitutions and tactical changes during matches.
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Kirby Smart is an American football coach and former player. He is the current head football coach of the Georgia Bulldogs, his alma mater. He coached the 2021 Bulldogs to a national championship victory in 2022, their first title win since 1980.
Kirby Smart's profile summary
- Full name: Kirby Paul Smart
- Nickname: Kirby Smart
- Gender: Male
- Date of birth: 23rd December 1975
- Age: 46 years (as of 2022)
- Zodiac sign: Sagittarius
- Place of birth: Montgomery, Alabama
- Current residence: Tuscaloosa, western Alabama
- Nationality: American
- Ethnicity: White
- Religion: Christianity
- Sexuality: Straight
- Height in feet: 5'11''
- Height in centimetres: 182
- Weight in pounds: 185
- Weight in kilograms: 80
- Shoe size: 9 (US)
- Hair colour: Dark brown
- Eye colour: Brown
- Mother: Sharon Smart
- Father: Sonny Smart
- Siblings: 2
- Marital status: Married
- Partner: Mary Elizabeth Lycett
- Children: 3
- School: Bainbridge High School
- University: University of Georgia, Florida State University
- Profession: Retired football player, football coach
- Net worth: $9 million
- Salary: $7 million
- Instagram: @coachkirbysmart
- Twitter: @KirbySmartUGA
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Kirby Smart's biography
The coach was born on 23rd December 1975 in Montgomery, Alabama. He is 46 years old as of 2022. His parents are Sharon Smart and Sonny Smart. He has two siblings, Kendall and Karl Smart.
Smart attended Bainbridge High School, where he started his career as a football player. After high school, he enrolled at the University of Georgia to further his studies. He graduated in 1999 with a Degree in Finance. In 2003, he graduated with a master's degree from Florida State University.
Career as a player
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Kirby began his career as a player while still undertaking his high school studies, where he played many games with the school's team. He continued playing even upon joining university. At the University of Georgia, he was a four-year defensive back. As a senior, he was a first-team All-SEC selection senior.
From Kirby Smart's record, he completed his career with 13 interceptions and emerged fourth all-time at Georgia. He led the Bulldogs with six interceptions in 1997 and five in 1998.
Career as a coach
Kirby began his career as a coach after going undrafted in the 1999 NFL Draft. He signed a free-agent contract with the Indianapolis Colts. He made his coaching debut for the University of Georgia in 1999. The star worked with the university's team for a year before moving to Valdosta State University.
At Valdosta, he stayed for an entire season as the defensive back before being promoted to the defensive coordinator for the 2001 season. In 2002 he joined Florida State University working under Bobby Bowden as a graduate assistant while undertaking his master's degree.
On 27th February 2008, he attained the promotion to defensive coach. In this position, he won the Broyles Award for the nation's best assistant coach on 8th December 2009. He is the first assistant coach to bag that award in Alabama.
On 20th November 2012, he was honoured as the AFCA FBS Assistant Coach of the Year. On 6th December 2015, he was announced to be the 26th head football coach at the University of Georgia. As the head coach of the Bulldogs, he went 8-5 in his first season.
During the 2017 season, the coach led the team to their first 9-0 start since 1982. They emerged the SEC East winners after a victory against South Carolina Gamecocks on 4th November 2017. On 2nd December 2017, he coached the Georgina team to its first SEC title since 2005. It was only the only fourth 12-win season in the school history after 1980, 2002 and 2012.
In the 2018 season, the team finished the regular season by attaining an 11-1record. This earned them a spot in the SEC Championship game as the Eastern Division Champions. But, unfortunately, they lost to Alabama 35-28. After that, the Bulldogs were invited to play in the Sugar Bowl, where they lost 28-21 to the Texas Longhorns team.
In 2019, the Bulldogs had a regular season where they recorded 11-1 and won the SEC Championship for the third consecutive season. However, they lost to Louisiana State University in the SEC Championship game 37-10. Then, the team entered the bowl season, where they won 26-14 against Baylor in the Sugar Bowl.
In 2020, the team recorded 7-2 during the regular season before the COVID-19 pandemic shortened the season. Towards the end of the season, the Bulldogs finished second. In 2021, the team went 12-0 in the regular season.
It lost 41-24 to Alabama in the SEC Championship game, ranking them third. They beat Michigan Wolverines 34-11 at the College Football Playoff semifinal game at the Orange Bowl. Later, they defeated Alabama 33-18 in the National Championship game.
Wife and children
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Georgia football coach is married to his college sweetheart, Mary Elizabeth Lycett. Before joining the University of Georgia, she went to Morrow High School, where she played for the Georgia Bulldogs women's basketball team. During her senior year, she was named Miss Georgia Basketball.
The duo dated for several years since college before exchanging their wedding vows. There are no details about their wedding. The couple has been blessed with Weston Smart and Andrew Smart (sons) and Julia Smart (daughter). Julia and Weston are twins.
Kirby Smart's salary and net worth
How much is Kirby Smart's salary? His annual salary as an American football coach is $7 million. This sum makes Smart one of the highest-paid college football coaches. He has an estimated net worth of $9 million as of 2022.
In 2018, he signed a new seven-year compensation package valued at $49 million. Kirby Smart's contract made him one of the wealthiest coaches earning a base salary of $500,000 over seven years. Previously, his base was $400,000. His media compensation was increased to $4 million from the previous $2.27 million.
Kirby Smart's fast facts
Below are quick facts about the coach:
- Who is Kirby Smart? He is an American football coach and retired player.
- Did Kirby Smart play in the NFL? He went undrafted in the 1999 NFL Draft and signed a contract with the Indianapolis Colt as a free agent.
- How old is Kirby Smart? He is 46 years old as of 2021.
- What did Kirby Smart do at Alabama? He was the first assistant coach to bag the Broyles Award for the nation's best assistant coach.
- What are some of Kirby Smart's past teams coached? Some of the teams are Georgia Bulldogs, Valdosta State Blazers, Florida State Seminoles, LSU Tigers, Alabama Crimson Tide and Miami Dolphins.
- Is Kirby Smart married? His wife is known as Mary Elizabeth Lycett, and together they have two sons and one daughter.
- How much does Kirby Smart earn? Kirby Smart earns an average annual salary of around $7 million.
- Does Kirby Smart have children? Smart is a proud father of three children, namely Julia, Weston, and Andrew Smart.
- Where did Kirby Smart study? He studied at Bainbridge High School before joining the University of Georgia for his undergraduate degree and later Florida State University for his master's degree.
Kirby Smart is not a new name in the sports arena. He is a retired former player and skilled coach. He is the epitome of hard work, diligence and commitment to his career. He has worked with numerous teams and has helped them emerge victoriously. He has also bagged several awards as one of the best coaches.
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