The Junkyard Blawg has moved!
Along with the other ajc.com blogs, the Junkyard Blawg has moved over to WordPress, where the blogging and commenting experience promises to be better. Join us over at the new WordPress version of the Junkyard Blawg by clicking on the link below.
AJC > Sports > UGA > Blog > Archives > 2008 > September > 22
Monday, September 22, 2008
There goes … Larry
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The news that Larry Munson is hanging up his headphones isn’t really surprising (though perhaps the timing is) considering his age and health, but it’s a day the Bulldog Nation long had hoped to put off.
We all have favorite Munson memories, mostly those unforgettable calls of big plays collected on various VHS and DVD compilations over the years. They became catch phrases (“My God, a freshman,” “Look at the sugar falling out of the sky”) beloved by all who wear red and black. The 2001 “hobnail boot” call in Knoxville might be the most beloved of all. It became so legendary that the ability to imitate it seems to be a requirement for a job at ESPN these days.
But as a friend was pointing out a little while ago while we were discussing the retirement news, Munson in his heyday wasn’t just about referring to the Bulldogs as “we” or turning a colorful phrase. He was a first-rate radio announcer, able to provide all the pertinent information on the progress of the game while painting a verbal picture of the action and capturing the excitement. He was the best at that, an old-time radio man. The new generation of TV-bred announcers doesn’t come close. And, frankly, neither did the tired Munson of the past few seasons, though there was still the occasional burst of the Munson of old.
The famous calls are fun to recall, but perhaps my favorite Munson memory is of the last time I saw him in person. It was after a game in Athens back early in this decade and I was walking back to our parking lot with my Dad, my son and one of my brothers. We were just crossing Lumpkin Street when here came Larry, chugging up the hill faster than just about anyone else making the trek. My brother called out, “Hey, Larry,” and Munson raised his hand, not slowing down a beat, leaving us in his wake.
That’s how I choose to remember Munson. A full-speed-ahead legend.
Services »
