WATCH: Kirby Smart reveals motivation behind Georgia championship book
Georgia fans experienced the euphoria of the 2021 National Championship as their beloved Bulldogs defeated Alabama 33-18. Now, due to the efforts of Kirby Smart and Loran Smith, they’ll have a chance to relive it. The two have teamed up to write a book entitled, “How ‘Bout Them Dawgs!: The Inside Story of Georgia Football’s 2021 National Championship Season.”
The book was a labor of love for Smith, who celebrated his 85th birthday earlier this month. He traveled with Smart and interviewed the ultra-busy head coach every chance he got. Smart recalled a specific instance with 680 The Fan on Monday morning when he said that Smith flew out to Texas with him so that they could converse on the record about the magical season.
But why? Why did Smart decide to use every spare moment to make it happen and why did Smith do something individuals much younger would turn down for one book? Well, according to Smart in an exclusive interview with Wes Blankenship of DawgsHQ, Bulldog Nation deserves it.
“Well it’s an opportunity for me to give back to the University of Georgia and when Loran presented me with the opportunity,” Smart said. “I wasn’t real fired up originally. But I realized that it was a keepsake for so many people. I wanted to give people on the outside a chance to see it from inside out and I knew Loran would do a thorough job of talking to people. I’m really proud of the work and the people he included in it. It was a championship for a state, a university, and he helped give that life.”
Smart gives Smith all the credit…
According to Smart, his perspective is far from the only one shared. The book, which retails for $39.99 in its hardback form on Amazon.com, features stories from a number of different individuals involved in the title run.
In fact, the eighth-year head coach praised Smith for how hard he worked at getting different voices in the book. So many people had a hand in winning the 2021 National Championship and Smith was able to loop many of them in.
Smith also had the foresight to capture as many moments possible during the 2021 College Football Playoff. He got Smart’s permission to deploy a photographer as the Bulldogs went to Miami for the Orange Bowl and Indianapolis for the National Championship game.
Smart wasn’t all-in on that idea from the beginning either. He joked with the 680 crew that he was concerned about his team possibly being jinxed by the move. But, as we all know now, the Dawgs finished that season — and the next — on top.
“He kept a lot of it without me even knowing and I think when you talk about the stories leading up to the game and throughout the National Championship run, everybody was involved,” Smart said. “He included everyone and it gives that view from the inside out how we went about things. it even digs into my family and my background there so I think it’s cool and Loren did a great job with it as well as all the people who helped.”
