Remembering Larry Munson’s favorite Bulldog calls
Nobody called a game like Larry Munson! (University of Georgia)
In honor of Larry Munson, longtime voice of the Georgia Bulldogs who died Sunday at age 89, here’s an excerpt from a piece I wrote in September 2009 …
No offense to Scott Howard or anyone else who ever mans a microphone for UGA football games, but in the hearts and minds of the Bulldog Nation, there’ll never be anyone who approaches the status of Larry Munson.
As coaches and players came and went, the one-of-a-kind broadcast legend was the constant in Georgia football for more than four decades and became one of the most beloved figures ever at UGA. It doesn’t usually take much prompting, either, to get Dog fans to wax nostalgic about their favorite Munson calls.
“From Herschel to a Hobnail Boot,” the memoir Munson wrote with longtime sportswriter Tony Barnhart, features Larry’s picks of his 10 favorite calls from his days in the UGA broadcast booth.
Here are the ones he picked:
1. The 2001 game in Knoxville, known forever as the “hobnail boot” call.
2. The 1980 “Run, Lindsay!” call in Jacksonville.
3. The 1975 Florida game’s Appleby-to-Washington “thinking of Montreal” call.
4. The 1980 “My God, a freshman!” call in Knoxville. (Munson says WSB got complaints about his language.)
5. The 1982 “Hunker down, you guys!” and “Look at the sugar falling out of the sky!” sequence at Auburn that kicked Munson’s legend into high gear.
6. The 1978 “Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!” call of Rex Robinson’s game-winning field goal at Kentucky.
7. The 1984 win over Clemson thanks to Kevin Butler’s 60-yard field goal (”The stadium is worse than bonkers!”).
8. The 2002 pass from David Greene to Michael Johnson to beat Auburn and send Georgia to the SEC championship (”Touchdown! Oh, God, a touchdown!”).
9. The 1978 come-from-behind win over Georgia Tech (”There’s a man open! Arnold!”).
10. The call of the 1973 Andy Johnson score against the Vols that had Munson yelling, “My God! Georgia beat Tennessee in Knoxville!” He says that last call was the one that really prompted the Bulldog faithful to embrace him as one of their own.
Good times. And even better because of the way Munson described them to us.
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— Bill King, Junkyard Blawg
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118 comments Add your comment
rich
November 21st, 2011
1:09 pm
I live in Tennessee and I am not a UGA fan, but driving through Atlanta one year, I was listening to Munson. I have never heard anyone mention this call because it was more of a conversation…..it cracked me up at the time. I believe UGA was playing Vandy and a Vandy received had just scored and knelt in the end zone in prayer. He was flagged for excessive celebration and Munson was incredulous. Loran Smith commented saying something like ‘as a Baptist, I think you should pray in your prayer closet’….and Munson said something to the effect of ‘my God, now you want to build closets in the end zone!!!’ I have probably got a lot of the details wrong, and I apologise, but Munson’s bewilderment regarding what Loran was talking about was priceless.
JJ
November 21st, 2011
1:19 pm
Always turned the volumne on the tv OFF and turned on the radio to hear Munson call the game…..
Georgia will not be the same. We’ve lost an original. RIP Larry!!!!!
Dawg in gatorville
November 21st, 2011
1:25 pm
I used to love the watch the game on TV and listen to Larry, You would here Larry about 3 seconds before you saw it.. He would describe it better than you could see it..
Rest in Peace Larry and God Bless
GolfDawg
November 21st, 2011
1:31 pm
To be really great you have to have a style of your own. Larry was great!!
macrotech
November 21st, 2011
1:44 pm
NONE of my favorite calls by Larry are listed in the blog, however, I do offer my condolences to all of the Dawg nation for the loss of a great voice. While my opinions conflicted with Larry Munson, I could ALWAYS appreciate his passion for his team! Rest in Peace Larry Munson….you’re a Damn Good Dawg!
Big Dawg
November 21st, 2011
1:50 pm
The one I will always remember “My God, a freshman!” I had just returned from Okinawa, Japan where I had been stationed for 3 long years and not being able to listen to him calling the games of my beloved Dawgs on the radio. I hadn’t even heard of Herschel Walker until that night in Knoxville when we came from behind and beat Tennessee 16-15. I also remember 1966 when he called the Auburn game when Dooley won his first SEC Championship. He was the best at painting a picture of the action of a game and YOU being able to see it in your mind. Yes I am a Dawg as I played there but Larry Munson was the consumate “Dam Good Dawg”. Rest in peace my friend, May our FATHER YAHWEH and our Lord and Savior Jesus keep in you in their loving arms forevermore.
Go Dawgs
harold
November 21st, 2011
1:54 pm
LARRY WAS THE BEST EVER. THE CURRENT CREW IS HORRIBLE AND VER UNEXCITING!
Rickster
November 21st, 2011
4:21 pm
The first Munson classic I remember was the ‘75 “Appleby to Washington.”
We were in the cages at Tucker HS, with the game blaring on the radio. When that play happened, and Larry said “the girders are bending” – I was on the floor, struggling to catch my breath after having screamed so loud and so long I almost passed out.
LadyBulldawg
November 21st, 2011
6:36 pm
Larry you will be missed by the Bulldawg Nation. We love you for your dedication, love, andf faithfullness to UGA Sports not just football. You brought happiness and a joy to all of us. You will always be remembered. Well done faithful BULLDAWG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tarryuga
November 21st, 2011
7:22 pm
Look at the sugar falling from my eyes!!!
RIP Larry, you are, and always will be the greatest!
tony
November 21st, 2011
7:41 pm
I listened to Larry every game since 1966 except one, the one when we played Bama on national tv when Dooley was still coaching. I went to Maine with my ex-wife’s family on Labor day weekend, i figured at least i’d get to listen to Larry on the radio. First, i was mad that the dumb yankees tv network up there deleted the game to play music videos, then i ran out to listen to Larry on the car radio and couldn’t pick up WSB at all. The Maine family thought it was so funny that i was so p.o’d but i told them “If I could hear Larry i would care less about the tv.” The next morning i walked to store to get the score (We lost)in the paper. (a 6 word comment in the sport page)I belive the proper way to honor this fantastic gentleman who bled red and black is to get a petition together and name the stadium Sanford-Munson Stadium now! DGD!
Bigdog2017
November 21st, 2011
10:40 pm
Nobody could ever call Dawg games like Larry Munson!
Railroad Dog
November 22nd, 2011
1:48 am
Re: Harold. Let”s not be negative just now. They are doing the best they can, following a legend is tough.
inkspot
November 22nd, 2011
6:26 am
I believe it was 1997, UGA at Kentucky, and Kentucky, after driving downfield late in the fourth, setting up for an easy game-winning FG, botched the snap and Georgia wins.
Munson: “Where did she come from, where did she come from?” Dramatic pause. “Lady Luck!!! We’d been waiting all game!!!”
The man was a kind of artist, he didn’t just call the game, he interpreted it, he brought it to life, gave it an aura of drama and pathos that was utterly unique.
Robert
November 23rd, 2011
3:11 pm
The man was a classic. Yes he was a homer. If you didnt like it, you could tune to another broadcast. Rest in peace
Larry Munson was to broadcasting what Bobby Cox was to stupid – i.e., the epitome of it
DawginTX
November 23rd, 2011
3:39 pm
I love all of those calls. I particularly enjoyed his references to Old Lady Luck, particularly when Sean Jones returned Jabar Davis’s fumble for a 97-yard TD against Tennessee. “They were gonna run a sweep with him… (he) dropped the ball. Old lady luck just laughed out loud right there! Holy Smokes!” I also am fond of Chuck Carswell’s interception against Alabama in 1990 “to save our fannies” and “Carswell fell on his whatchamacallit.”
Jecorey
November 24th, 2011
5:18 pm
We buried my Dad that wet day in 97. House full of Georgia fans after the funeral blew up when Allen made the catch. Remember standing in the corner with a lil smile on my face.
Ken Colquitt
November 25th, 2011
6:13 pm
I often said I was Munson was Munson wasn’t cool. I used to have an 8 track recording of his games from the early 70s I played on my dates. They thought I was crazy. My most memorable moments were obscure games no one remembers, Ga-Auburn in 71. His first comments, they’ve been roaring since 6 this morning on the bridge. Ga-Alabama 72, Look at Erk pleading with his defense to stop the TIde, Ga-Auburn(the greatest game he ever called in 1978 when they ended up tied 22-22). Cribbs and Brooks had 400 yards in the first half alone. Johnny Henderson’s brillant tackle in the Florida game. My greatest moment, sitting with him in Memphis Tennessee at Halftime of the State High School Championship game and he was shocked someone knew who he was. We hooked up again in Jax in 1989 at the Omni International. THe commute to Atlanta was awesome with him and Kathy Fishman on WSB>…..Remember him describing the Ninja Turtles movie….broadcasting a fake liftoff of the Space Shuttle…twisting at the right tackle and he stumbles forward for six yards…..Ga-Fla 1976 on the Flight Deck of the USS JFK broadcasted around the world on Armed Forces radio…the 2nd half made him a legend…..I;ve missed him terrible since 2008…..A part of me will be forever missing now.