I was 8 years old the first time I heard his voice. I had moved to Savannah, Georgia from El Paso, Texas that summer. I had no idea who he was. I had no idea where Athens, Georgia was. And I had little idea as to who the Georgia Bulldogs were. But the picture that was painted through my radio those fall afternoons in 1980 did more than bring a football game to life. It laid the foundation for a way of life.
The voice of Larry Munson captured the soul of the University of Georgia for me that fall. He captured what our great institution stands for and he gave that to me through my radio. And the passion and pride that we all have for this very special team...this very special place...came through his words every time he spoke to me. I could see every pass through his words, I could feel every hit, and I could feel the vibrations of the stadium as it rocked after Lindsay heard Larry's words as well...urging him to run...run Lindsay. For so many of us...for so long...Larry Munson was the University of Georgia. His life and his work will be forever missed, but Larry...you will never be forgotten. Thank you for the memories.
I often get asked about my greatest memories while at the University of Georgia. Those asking the questions are looking for that one game or that one play that stands out above all the rest. I have those of memories of course. My first touchdown pass to my good friend Paul Etheridge in the West end zone of Sanford Stadium. That fall night in 1991 when the Braves finally clinched their title and the enthusiasm from their run that spilled over into Athens as we were set to take on the nationally ranked Clemson Tigers. The stadium rocked that night like no stadium I had ever been in as we went on to shock that Tiger team. I remember the pass I threw over the shoulder of a defender to a tightly covered Andre Hastings against Tennessee in 1992...a pass that signaled to me that I was truly ready for the stage of the SEC. I have countless memories of a 10-2 run in 1992 and a top ten national ranking. I remember the monsoon in 1993 in Jacksonville, Florida and the classic battle that ensued on that rain soaked field. How can anyone forget the phantom timeout in that very game that brought me to my knees as we came so close to pulling off the impossible? The battle against the Tide in 1994...the deep post against and an undefeated Auburn team that pulled us even with them on the Plains...4-0 vs. Georgia Tech. These are the memories of the field that stand out and they are all very special, but they will not go down as the memory that I hold most dear when I think of my time and my affiliation with the University of Georgia.
That memory is reserved for an event that took place long after my playing days had passed. I began working with the Georgia Radio Broadcast Team in 2007 as the color analyst for away games. That year, Larry decided he was going to call only home games. On the road, Scott Howard moved into his now familiar role as Voice of the Bulldogs and I would fill the role of color analyst. Never in my wildest imagination did I think I would ever have the opportunity to call a game with the legendary Larry Munson. But that is exactly what happened. The weekend after Thanksgiving...four years ago...against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets...my greatest memory of my time with the University of Georgia was forged as I took a seat in the booth next to Larry Munson to call a Georgia Bulldog football game.
Unlike the memories of my playing days...this memory contains very few details. What it does contain is a flood of emotions as memories from my youth came rushing forward. The man that so clearly painted the image of the Bulldogs and laid the foundation for what this University has meant in my life was in the chair next to me...once again painting the picture. I did not want to speak...I wanted him to tell the story. I wanted to see every pass and feel every hit through his words once again. We were half way through the 1st quarter when Neil "Hondo" Williamson gently nudged me...stating that it was okay for me to speak...that in fact, I needed to. As I finally pushed out my few first few words in between plays, Larry quickly adjusted and began bringing me into his world. He allowed me to play in his atmosphere, if only for a short period. And it is an atmosphere that I will never see again. For the remaining three and half quarters of that football game I sat beside a legend and worked with him. And he made it effortless. The passion, the pride, the intensity...it was all there, just I had remembered from my youth...and now I was a part of it. I don't remember one play of that football game. And yet, it is a game I will never forget.
Larry Munson is a legend. Larry Munson is our legend. He has given us all the picture of what it means to be a Georgia Bulldog. Larry, thank you. You will be forever missed. You will never be forgotten.
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