Jamie Squire/Getty Georgia Bulldogs football coach Kirby Smart with his wife, Mary Beth Lycett Smart after the 2021 SEC Championship game.
Georgia Bulldogs football coach Kirby Smart is married to Mary Beth Lycett Smart. He grew up in Bainbridge, Georgia, as the son of Sonny and Sharon Smart and played football at UGA. Kirby Smart has two siblings, a sister, Kendall, and brother, Karl.
Like her husband, Mary Beth Smart was a Bulldogs athlete. She played college basketball at Georgia and now run’s the family’s charity, the Kirby Smart Family Foundation, with a mission, “to be champions in our community by supporting and giving back to needy children and families facing adversity,” according to its website.
Kirby and Mary Beth Smart met at the University of Georgia in 2005, according to the school’s website. They married in 2006, a year after they started dating. They have three children.
Here’s what you need to know about Kirby Smart’s wife and family:
1. Kirby Smart & Mary Beth Lycett Met When She Was Working in the Athletic Department & Set Up Her Future Husband’s Trip to Interview for the Bulldogs’ Running Back Coach Job
Harry How/Getty Kirby Smart with his wife, Mary Beth, in 2018.
Kirby Smart and Mary Beth Lycett met when they were both working at the University of Georgia in the athletic department, according to the Georgia Bulldogs website. Smart’s bio on the team website says, ” The couple met long after their undergraduate days at Georgia, when Lycett — then working in the UGA Athletic Association Business Office — helped arrange Smart’s trip to interview for the Bulldogs’ running backs coaching job in 2005.”
According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the couple started dating that same year after Kirby joined the staff of then-Bulldogs coach Mark Richt. Mary Beth Smart was the travel coordinator for the team. They were married in 2006 at St. James United Methodist Church in Alpharetta, Georgia, according to the newspaper.
Mary Beth Smart said on the Kirby Smart Foundation’s website, “Kirby and I have been so blessed. The University of Georgia has blessed us so much so we’re just thankful to have this opportunity to give back.”
2. Kirby & Mary Beth Smart Have 2 Sons, Weston & Andrew, & a Daughter, Julia
According to the Georgia Bulldogs website, Kirby and Mary Beth Smart have three kids. They have twins, Weston and Julia, born in 2008, and another son, Andrew, born in 2012, the Bulldogs website says. The family lives in Athens, Georgia, in a remodeled 1920s cottage according to Atlanta Magazine.
The couple’s youngest son has become a big part of the Bulldogs team during the 2022-2023 season, according to 11Alive news, a Georgia TV station. Tight end Darnell Washington told the news station, “I mean Andrew is like a little brother to me. I have lots of nephews and I got two of my own [kids], two little girls, so I just look at it like one of my own.”
Offensive lineman Sedrick Van Pran added, “It’s amazing how close he is to us because he kind of looks for individual players before the game to give a dap to or a high five. It’s a pretty unique experience to have the head coach’s son around to kind of look up to you.”
3. Mary Beth Smart Played for the Georgia Bulldogs Basketball Team From 1999 to 2003 & Was a Top 3-Point Shooter During Her Senior Season
Jamie Squire/GettyKirby Smart hugs his wife, Mary Beth.
According to the Georgia Bulldogs website, Mary Beth Lycett played high school basketball at Morrow High School. A lifelong Bulldogs fan, she signed to play at the school after being named Miss Georgia Basketball in 1999, according to the school’s website.
Mary Beth Smart emerged as a key player during her junior and senior seasons, according to the Georgia website, “Following two seasons as an understudy, Lycett emerged as one of the Lady Dogs’ most dependable players. She started 51 of 61 games during the last two seasons and her contributions increased exponentially.” Her career ended in 2003 with a loss to Duke in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, according to the Georgia website.
According to the Bulldogs record books, Smart remains one of the school’s best-ever 3-point shooters. The team’s 2022-2023 media guide shows that in 2001-2002 she drained .789% of her long-distance shots (30 out of 38) and in 2002-2003 she made 3-point shots at a .902% clip (37-41).
4. Kirby Smart’s Parents Are Missing the Bulldogs’ Title Game Against TCU Because of His Father’s Health Issues
Kirby Smart’s parents have been among his biggest fans during his tenure with Georgia, but they will be absent from the stands during the title game in January 2023, a rare occurrence, according to the Athens Banner-Herald. His father, Sonny Smart, and mother, Sharon Smart, also missed the team’s semi-final victory over Ohio State because of his dad’s “medical issues.”
Kirby Smart did not go into detail about the health problems, but told the Banner-Herald, “He’s a really special man to me. Unfortunately, he’s not going to be able to make it to the game. … It hurts me that he and my mom won’t be here. But I know it’s the right decision for him. He’s been at almost every, in terms of home game in Athens, playoff games. It’s tough that he’s not able to make it. Nothing worse than watching your parents grow old. It’s like taxes; it’s inevitable. They’re going to get old. And that’s been tough.”
According to the Banner-Herald, Sonny Smart was also a football coach. He coached the Bainbridge High School, including when his son was a safety at the school, and in Rabun County, according to the newspaper, before retiring. Kirby Smart told the newspaper, “I tried to follow his mantra as a coach. I’ve certainly evolved from going to coach for other people, but a lot of my core beliefs came from the way he ran our programs in high school.”
5. Kirby Smart’s Brother Beat Childhood Cancer & Served as an Inspiration for the Future Georgia Bulldogs Coach
Kirby Smart has turned to his older brother, Karl Smart, for inspiration throughout his life. His brother battled childhood cancer as a teen, according to WDRW. He was diagnosed with leukemia and underwent treatment for more than three years, the news station reported.
In 2019, Karl Smart talked about attending Camp Sunshine, in Augusta, a non-profit that helps kids and families during a cancer battle. Karl Smart told WRDW, “All of my family, we worked together as a team, as families do. You know, Kirby had to stay with friends when my parents and I would go to the hospital to get treatment for weeks at a time. So everyone was put out, my sister had to stay with family and friends.”
Karl Smart is now a. psychiatric nurse practitioner. According to LifeStance Health, “Karl is a skilled psychiatric provider with over 20 years of experience. Throughout his career, he has gained experience leading groups and providing medication management. He uses a solutions based approach with a holistic focus and is informed by mindfulness and cognitive behavioral theories. He has extensive experience coordinating care with other primary care and mental health providers in collaborative care models. Karl is a father, husband, and avid outdoorsman. He enjoys exploring, camping, backpacking, and spending time with family. Although he has spent many years in the western United States, he grew up in South Georgia. He also enjoys reading science fiction novels and watching films.”
Kirby Smart’s sister, Kendall Smart Burris, is a science teacher and cheerleading coach at Kell High School in Georgia, according to the Marietta Daily Journal.