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Kirby Smart explains why he doesn't want Georgia's worth to just be built on championships

Alex Weberby:Alex Weber•01/14/23
Kirby Smart (2)
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 09: Head coach Kirby Smart of the Georgia Bulldogs celebrates after defeating the TCU Horned Frogs in the College Football Playoff National Championship game at SoFi Stadium on January 09, 2023 in Inglewood, California. Georgia defeated TCU 65-7. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Championship games are the final measuring stick. The whole sports world revolves around the idea that each team is fighting to win it on a yearly basis. However, Georgia head coach Kirby Smart — now the winner of two college football titles in a row — says the crown may not be the ultimate goal.

Don’t get him wrong, Smart wants to dominate every game and win the title by a 65-7 score every year. But whether the Bulldogs reach their lofty expectations in a given year or not, Smart wants to see each individual reach their own goals.

So, here was a reflective Kirby Smart explaining the value of personal development regardless of team goals:

Kirby Smart on finding meaning outside championships

“It’s awesome (winning the national championship). But I don’t want their careers — I don’t want their self-worth or our program’s self-worth to be built on just championships,” said Smart, noting how the sports world tends to define the great ones by the championships they win.

“I get it. I get that’s what you define Joe Montana on, Tom Brady on, LeBron and Kobe and Michael Jordan on — the number of championships.”

But the reality is…most players don’t end up becoming one of those guys. The names above are immediately recognizable because they are the rare exception, athletes who accomplished absolutely everything there is to accomplish. Now that he’s summited the mountain, Smart realizes that it’s not the be-all end-all of college sports. There are so many other ways for his players to make their mark other than simply winning titles.

“I don’t want these young men to be defined by that. I don’t want my career to be defined by that because I know tons of coaches and players out there that didn’t get one that had unbelievable careers. So I never hang a hat or say, you validate. All I want to do is be the best I can be today. And I want these kids to know that they need to be the best they can each and every day so they can be successful. If you measure success based on wins in each day, that’s what I want our success to be measured on.”

Pretty cool perspective for the now two-time national title winner to essentially say that those trophies aren’t how he wants to have his career defined.