Buck Belue and Larry Munson forever will be linked because of Munson's famous Belue-to-Scott call from Jacksonville in 1980. But Munson actually made an impression on Belue well before he ever played football for the Bulldogs.
"He was a legendary guy even when I was a kid," said Belue, quarterback of Georgia's 1980 national championship team. "I remember it was 1970 or ‘71 and my grandmother, ‘Mama Sarah,' lived in White Columns right there on the corner of Baxter and Milledge [in Athens]. They were having the homecoming parade and I'll never forget when Munson came by.
"He was in the back of a convertible. He had a cigar in one hand, a Budweiser in the other and cheerleaders sitting on either side of him. I asked my Dad, ‘Who's that?' Right then, two women streakers ran by right in front of him. That was my first recollection of Munson, that homecoming parade."
Of course, it was another run, the one when Lindsay Scott took Belue's short pass 92 yards for a touchdown to beat Florida in the final minutes in 1980, that connected all three individuals for life. It might have been just another big play in Georgia's biggest season had Munson not painted the picture as he did.
He described the action on the field, he pleaded for Lindsay to run faster, he broke his chair, he predicted property damage and told Georgia fans exactly how they felt. "I gave up. You did, too!" he said
"It's such an honor, really, just to be part of the Georgia tradition," Belue said. "But to be part of a play like that and have him bring it to life like he did, it's something nobody will ever forget and we can all thank him for that."
Munson, Georgia's legendary play-by-play radio announcer for more than 40 years, passed away Sunday night from complications from pneumonia. He was 89.
Munson's body will be cremated, according to Charley Whittemore, UGA assistant athletic director for facilities and a close friend of Munson. Whittemore said planning is still in progress for a memorial service in Sanford Stadium that would take place sometime after Dec. 4.
"We're trying to make sure it wouldn't disrupt anything that's happening on campus," said Whittemore, who said Dec. 10 is the likely date. "We'll be having exams at that time, so we want to be respectful of that. But there will probably be a small ceremony, something that would make a proper memorial for a man of the people, such as Larry was."
The three flags fronting the Butts-Mehre Building were flying at half-mast Monday. A portrait of Munson had also been put on display just inside the doors of Heritage Hall.
Like Belue, Loran Smith also will be forever inked with Munson. It was sometime shortly after Smith became sideline reporter for Bulldogs' radio network in 1974 that Munson would throw it to him by saying, "Whatta ya got, Loran?" To this day, Smith answers to that reference anywhere he goes.
"Oh, yeah, happens all the time," Smith said. "I get it on the phone, I get introduced that way when I speak. It's something that was sort of a reflection of Munson's style. He was sort of an off-the-wall kind of guy. You never knew what he'd come up with. That was just his way of bringing in the comments from the field, but it caught on. A lot of things he did caught on because he had such a unique style. It was endearing, as far as I was concerned, which I appreciate."
Whatever Munson did or said, it tended to be memorable. If someone was fortunate enough to be involved in one of Georgia's highlight moments, his words acted as the bronze that would preserve that moment in time.
Georgia coach Mark Richt experienced the Munson phenomenon his first year with the Bulldogs. In 2001, Richt called a play-action, pass play, forever known now as P-44 Haynes, which resulted in the game-winning touchdown against Tennessee in Knoxville. After David Greene completed the pass to Verron Haynes, Munson proclaimed that the Bulldogs had just "stepped on their face with a hobnail boot and broke their nose."
"It was a special honor for me personally when Larry had such a signature and memorable call during my first season with the ‘Hobnail Boot,'" Richt said on Monday. "... Getting to know him over the years was an honor and privilege for me. I know he loved Georgia and Georgia football and the Bulldog Nation loved Larry."
That was one thing about Munson, Belue said. His descriptive powers were unmatched.
"His talent was just to bring it to life," Belue said. "He gave life to the story and brought the characters to life. That's what set him apart. To listen to him do a game, no matter what, you felt like it was the biggest game of the year."
And when it really was, that's when the magic could happen.
"His face is on the Mount Rushmore of the Georgia Bulldogs," said Jeff Dantzler, a resident historian who calls baseball and basketball games for the Bulldogs. "He will forever be the voice of the Georgia Bulldogs and one of our most beloved icons and treasures. He will live forever in the hearts of the Georgia people."
In lieu of flowers, the Munson family requests that donations be made to the Noah Harris Cheerleading Scholarship. The endowed scholarship is awarded annually to a student-athlete on the cheerleading team who demonstrates outstanding character, leadership and dedication to the athletic program and the community. The fund was established in 2006 in memory of U.S. Army 1st Lt. Noah Harris, who was a UGA cheerleader.
Donation checks should be made payable to the UGA Foundation with the designation: Noah Harris Cheerleading Scholarship in memory of Larry Munson. They may be sent to the Georgia Bulldog Club, PO Box 1472, Athens, Ga. 30603.
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