Kirby Smart tells tale of turning down pro football opportunity and importance of relationships

ATHENS — Kirby Smart makes no attempt to glorify his Georgia football playing career, and in fact, he often downplays just how good he was while with the Bulldogs.

Smart, an All-SEC pick in 1998 who ranks sixth all-time in the UGA football record books with 13 career interceptions, was the Bulldogs’ interception leader in 1997 with five, and in 1998 with six, when he also served as a team captain.

To put that into perspective, none of the Georgia players Smart has signed since becoming head coach in 2016 have eclipsed his numbers, even though he has recruited and developed several current NFL defensive backs.

Smart’s NFL career was short-lived, and he seems to enjoy the self-deprecating nature of his brief time after signing with the Indianapolis Colts as a free agent in 1999 and went through the team’s April mini-camp.

In one of Smart’s speeches to the UGA business school, from 2018, the Georgia head coach shared how important relationships are to the game, even when players don’t work out with a program.

Or, in Smart’s case, with an NFL team.

“That guy that cut me, Vic Fangio, He (was) the defensive coordinator of the Colts,” said Smart, referring to a coach who was most recently let go after two seasons as the Denver Broncos’ head coach.

“I go to the Colts, Man I got no business being in the Colts. Peyton Manning’s out there torching me, beating me, I’m getting Marvin Harrison, and I’m like, ‘Man, what am I doing?’

“Yeah, I hadn’t seen this kind of speed come flying by me in forever.”

Smart had a pretty good feeling what was coming next.

“(Fangio) called me and said, ‘You’re not going make it. You’re probably better off, and he had a guy come talk to me and said, ‘Would you go over to NFL Europe and play over here?’ "

Smart indicated he didn’t give that much consideration.

“If you play in NFL Europe you have to come straight back after a 12-game season and go into camp with the NFL team,” Smart explained.

“I’d seen these guys that had come from overseas and they were beat up, tired, and I said, “No, that’s not for me, I”m going to go straight into coaching.’ "

Smart noted that just prior to his speech, Fangio called him off the phone of former Georgia linebacker Roquan Smith prior to the Chicago Bears drafting him.

“He said, ‘I want to know what you think of this young man,’ " Smart said. “And I’m thinking, ‘this is the guy that cut me 20 years ago.’ "

The point was — and is — that relationships in football are important.

Ironically, now it’s Smart who is a successful head coach on the verge of a $100 million contract, while Fangio is out of work.

Safe to say, if Fangio needed a favor, Smart would be right there, as he has proven by hiring many of his football friends from yesteryear, like new analyst Mike Bobo.

Smart said during an offseason interview that Bobo is one of his golfing partners, and he likes having the former Mark Richt offensive coordinator and UGA quarterback around.