Loran Smith replaced as UGA sideline reporter
(Updated 8 p.m.)
ATHENS — After 36 years as sideline reporter on radio broadcasts of University of Georgia football games, Loran Smith will not be in that role this season.
He’ll be replaced by Chuck Dowdle, the former WSB-TV sports director.
Smith will continue in his other long-time role as co-host, with Neil Williamson, of Georgia’s three-hour radio pregame show, the “Tailgate Show.”
Georgia associate athletic director Alan Thomas said the change of sideline reporters had been “contemplated” since the 2008 retirement of legendary play-by-play voice Larry Munson altered the “dynamics” of the broadcast.
“I had 36 good years on the sideline,” Smith told the AJC Thursday night. “It’s been fun, and I appreciate the support of the Georgia people.
“I had a good time, and I look forward to more good times. I don’t have to be on the sidelines to enjoy the broadcast and my role.
“I finally get to sit up in the press box where I can see,” Smith added with a laugh.
Smith said he joined UGA’s radio broadcast team in the early 1970s and has served as sideline reporter continuously since 1974. Munson’s hand-off call to Smith became a familiar and enduring part of UGA lore.
Munson’s exact words varied from time to time, Smith said. “‘Whaddaya got, Loran?’ That’s how it started, and I think it became interchangeable,” Smith said. “I think just whatever came to mind. He might have started with my name or might have concluded with it.”
Smith, 72, said he leaves the sideline with “a lot of good memories” and confidence many more are yet to be made under coach Mark Richt’s leadership.
“I’m just looking forward to the future,” Smith said.
Thomas said Smith remains an important part of the broadcast team on the pregame show. Having Dowdle serve as sideline reporter is “a natural progression” of his role on the post-game locker-room show, Thomas said.
In another change to the radio lineup, veteran SEC broadcaster Charlie McAlexander will join Jeff Dantzler on the “Bulldog Game Day” show, which airs one hour before the “Tailgate Show.”
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302 comments Add your comment
Addition by subtraction
August 26th, 2010
9:48 pm
Good riddance
PTC DAWG
August 26th, 2010
9:54 pm
Loran, you will be missed.
Mobile Dawg
August 26th, 2010
9:55 pm
This goes out to any and all posters who have had negative comments on a DGD. May bedbugs dine upon your flesh tonight. Sweet dreams….
God bless you Loran, thanks for the many good years, and memories. We miss you and Larry as a team….Good luck to Chuck and welcome to the future.
jimmy Swindel
August 26th, 2010
9:57 pm
Does anyone else every notice that The University of Georgia never hires a black man like my self for positions like this? When will people start seeing a man and not the color of his skin?
Yes
August 26th, 2010
9:57 pm
Munson Catch Phrase to Loren is: Loren, what do ya have? what do ya have?
PTC DAWG
August 26th, 2010
9:57 pm
Any of you calling our Loran, I’m willing to meet at the nearest BP station to whip your azz.
truedawg
August 26th, 2010
9:58 pm
Loran has been a damned good dawg for a long time. I am truly amazed at the number of jackasses that feel the need to slam him.
Loran
August 26th, 2010
10:01 pm
Whatchagot Chuck
For what it's worth
August 26th, 2010
10:04 pm
On September 21, 2007
Mark Schlabach of ESPN said this about Munson’s retirement:
Loran Smith, who long ago became the target of Munson’s
” Loran whatdayagot? ”
call for sideline reports.
said the fact Georgia started winning when Munson went into the booth helped his popularity as much as anything.
Ben There
August 26th, 2010
10:04 pm
Unless you really know McGill, Loran and Larry you can’t be a complete Bulldog. Those that really don’t know them show their ignorance with their opinions. They don’t know UGA and would be very good Tech fans. Rant on some more to prove my point.
Karvey Heitel
August 26th, 2010
10:08 pm
Munson, Martinez, Evans, Smith. Who cares, good riddance.
Richt should be next.
36 Dawg Gone Years
August 26th, 2010
10:14 pm
`
36 years on the sideline, that’s a lot of football games.
We will miss your reports Loran.
JaxDawg
August 26th, 2010
10:16 pm
“Well Larry”, Musa has a high ankle sprain but it looks like he’ll be alright!!
Mark in Woodstock
August 26th, 2010
10:17 pm
Even as lifetime Clemson fan it’s sad to see Loran go….I always thought he brought a southern gentlemen’s approach to his broadcast. Loran–you can enjoy just being fan for the remainder of your days.
Loran, whatdayagot?
August 26th, 2010
10:20 pm
I still got the pre-game show, Larry.
Very Dawg
August 26th, 2010
10:21 pm
loran’s act is old and out of date. Dowdle–better, but they could have done better.
Dalton Dawg
August 26th, 2010
10:24 pm
Tim, it is obvious that you never listened to the Dawgs on the radio. I can hear, Munson now… “Loran, what cha got”. Loran would say, Well…. He most always started with well. This was a great team that will not be forgotten. Go Dawgs!!!
Hallelujah
August 26th, 2010
10:25 pm
Loran was the worst I could ever imagine. He knew about as much about football as my 4 year old. PATHETIC!!!!
By the way he was also quite rude…
dawgydawg47
August 26th, 2010
10:26 pm
How are we gonna get Chuck’s head out of Mark Richt’s a** long enough to do a report? What a butt kisser. My 5 year old could ask tougher questions.
Jessie
August 26th, 2010
10:28 pm
Dowdle is truly one of the nicest guys in the biz. Genuine and hard working, too. Will be good to hear his voice on Saturdays.
JDW
August 26th, 2010
10:31 pm
Loran for Chuck Dowdle? You got to be kidding. Don’t know who made this call but they got it wrong in a big way.
Rabun Dawg
August 26th, 2010
10:33 pm
I would bet that Donan and Loran never had a beer together. Loran was a UGA legend, but his time had come. DGD, for sure!! Personally, had rather listen to most network announcers on tv, than those doing UGA games on radio. Need more Kevin Butlers, who doesn’t “sugar coat” the situations.
king of mean
August 26th, 2010
10:47 pm
Now if the Braves radio group would get rid of Don Sutton… the WORST play by play announcer EVER…
example: “This is the 4th time that Kuo has gone more than 1 inning. He’s done it 3 times before.”
Really Don? 4 is more than 3? Thanks for clearing that up for me…
Dawg Gone It
August 26th, 2010
11:13 pm
Not a SEC Championship in sight! Long Live CMR!
rainbow
August 26th, 2010
11:25 pm
how’s it hangin’ dowdle…
Ben There
August 26th, 2010
11:30 pm
Rabun Dog, You would lose a bet on Loran never having a beer with Donnan. I don’t know if he knows Donan. There was never a Coach Donan at UGA. If you don’t even know the UGA coaches, I can see why you need a numb-nut TV announcer to help you and your wife through a football game. You certainly haven’t been spending your time in Athens on Saturdays. Donan? Donan? Please go to a deer hunting site and never voice an opinion about UGA again! Donan?
Play it loud
August 26th, 2010
11:32 pm
To keep the thought of that 1980 title, uga fans can still play old recordings of larry munson and loran from the early 80s in the parking lots before the game! It’s the closest they will get to a title in a long time.
Bill
August 26th, 2010
11:36 pm
It’s not “Whaddayagot, Loran”, but the exact opposite, “Loran, whaddayagot?”
uga grad
August 26th, 2010
11:42 pm
u want fries with that?
Jed Leland
August 26th, 2010
11:45 pm
Now, possum-head Dowdull can be an official pimp instead of merely a de facto one. As for Smith, good riddance to that femme-voiced homer. Tweedle Dee to old man Munson’s Tweedle Dumber. Larry was a destructive force to UGA (the university). To boot, he was senile & incompetent for at least the last lustrum.
GT BABY
August 27th, 2010
12:10 am
..
GT BABY
August 27th, 2010
12:13 am
HEY, THE AJC HASN’T WROTE A STORY ABOUT BUC TO LINDSEY IN THE PAST FOUR DAYS…..IT’S JUST ABOUT TIME FOR ANOTHER ONE. GEORGIA FANS ARE SO STUPID! WHEN WILL YALL GET OUT OF 1980? AT LEAST STOP ACTING LIKE YALL HAVE WON THREE NC SINCE THEN. IT’S GETTING OLD!
athhound
August 27th, 2010
12:17 am
Loran has rarely added anything outside of the glaringly obvious in several years. Dantzler has a great voice, and more knowledge of UGA athletics than anyone not named Dan Magill. He needs a more prominent role, and if he can stay out of trouble with the DUI police, I think he’ll eventually get one. Dowdle is the worst possible choice. He sounds as though he’s been sucking helium and is, in person, the most condescending, arrogant media personality I’ve ever met outside of Wolf Blitzer.
GT BABY
August 27th, 2010
12:19 am
IS LARRY MUNSON DEAD?
John Wayne
August 27th, 2010
12:22 am
I can’t believe this…might as well shoot me in the back. Just shows what happens when you got the wrong kind of people running things.
Ben
August 27th, 2010
12:34 am
Loran, I miss you already sir. Enjoy the easy seat in the box. You knew Charles liked boiled peanuts – greatest sideline question ever.
TN Jeff
August 27th, 2010
12:44 am
Gonna miss such astute observations as – “Well Larry if GA scores more points than TN, then they’re gonna win”
Gator Hater
August 27th, 2010
1:33 am
I still miss Munson but won’t miss Loran. I’ve been listening to and attending games for over thirty years and still haven’t figured out what Loran was talking about. “Loran, Whatayagot?” was a apparently a trick question for Loran because he always came back with nothing of substance.
“Well Larry, I had lunch on Tuesday with Miss Allebelle Jones who some of you may remember was the sister of Jerome Jones whose high school backfield mate was George Jernigan, a four year lettermen for the Dawgs, who pulled a groin in the locker room after Georgia’s 1946 Oil Bowl victory over Tulsa. Tulsa, that reminds me of a story…”
I’m all for tradition (including no black uniforms or helmets) but is it really tradition if only two people know it happened or is it just history? Someone asked me on Wednesday if Loran was going to be back this year and I said that I hoped not and wanted them to give Butler a shot. But Chuck Dowdle? Haven’t the ISP guys seen the coach’s show or any of his other work? Scott Howard is pretty good and Zeier isn’t as bad since they turned his microphone down or he took it out of his mouth. Go Dawgs!
SEC X
August 27th, 2010
2:38 am
Loran will be missed but in a way only he could summarize:
“Loran, how’s it going to be working in the press box?
Well, the press box has seats and it won’t be grassy like the field. Back to you”
It will let him contemplate more wonderful thoughts such as “The team that scores the most has the best chance to win” and “he looks ready to come back in the second half after a warm up (the player being spoken of was on the sideline on crutches in street clothes).” Those are just two of the most useless quotes of his I can remember. Not once can I remember him adding anything constructive to any broadcast. Nice or not, he was a waste of airtime, like I would be if I were a sideline reporter.
Fooper
August 27th, 2010
3:18 am
Loran… whatdayagot?
Larry…I got me a Maker’s and ginger, how about you?
common sense
August 27th, 2010
5:08 am
finally GONE!!! I am very pleased to have a new voice. Loran was the ultimate softball interviewer, really nice guy but no always on point to the event s of the day. Lets be honest Munsons coat-tails just werent long enough..
Davis May
August 27th, 2010
5:43 am
there is an announcer at Clemson that’s great, named Will Merritt. Can we get him? He’s really funny because there are people in the announcer’s booth that laugh at everything he says and he laughs at everything he says. Can we get him? Is it too late?
jake
August 27th, 2010
5:50 am
i will miss :
rail road tracks
poss cups
erk russell
cheerleaders that were true beauties
larrys voice
freddy jones
avery mcclain
squab jones
vince dooley
lauren smith
tailgating
hershel walker
seagraves
############# they are all gone and will be missed ##########
everything is so damm political these days
mike
August 27th, 2010
6:02 am
whatdayagot loran made my day…guess uga is next to go…this aint good..leave well enough alone
mike
August 27th, 2010
6:04 am
jake you are dead on screw the new system..
mike
August 27th, 2010
6:06 am
are they cutting the damn headges next and planting castus
Richard Tardits
August 27th, 2010
6:07 am
Will be missed but long overdue.
Coastal Dog
August 27th, 2010
6:09 am
does this mean that comments from the sideline report may actually end before play on the field resumes? Let’s embraced some change! Thanks for all the years Larry.
LAKEDAWG
August 27th, 2010
6:34 am
Chuck surely do suck. Loran is a classy gentleman, which seems to be out of favor at UGA since Adams took over. What’s next? Chuck’s good friend Neal Boortz doing the play by play?
» SEC: Long-time Georgia radio personality replaced John Clay’s Sidelines
August 27th, 2010
6:44 am
[...] Georgia radio fixture Loran Smith out as sideline reporter, reports Tim Tucker of the AJC. [...]