Georgia Football: Larry Munson’s 5 greatest calls
Larry Munson, the voice of the Georgia Bulldogs for 42 years, passed away in 2011 at the age of 89. As each football season nears since his passing, the Bulldog Nation hangs on to the notion that Munson is watching, and will call Georgia football games in heaven.
Even as a local broadcaster, Larry Munson was one of the most beloved radio voices in all of college football. Often featured (or imitated) on ESPN highlight shows, his calls had a unique quality and were absolutely spot-on in the descriptive manner that flowed from his always parched-sounding throat.
His voice had a menacing, growling sound, and his grammar was poor enough to make every sixth-grade teacher within earshot begin twitching uncontrollably. But none of that mattered. Nobody cared if he lacked dulcet tones or polished prose in his description of the action.
Larry Munson and Georgia football are forever connected
Part of the pregame tradition in Athens – both before and after Munson died – was the broadcast of the Redcoat band performing “Battle Hymn” with Larry Munson’s voice booming laying out for all the hear the words that have become the mantra of the Bulldog Nation:
"Glory, glory to old Georgia! Heroes have graced the field before you: men with the hearts, bodies, and minds of which the entire Bulldog nation can be justifiably proud. A tradition of unbridled excellence demonstrated by these individuals and many others spans more than a full century. And now a new breed of Bulldog stands ready to take the field of battle to assume the reigns of their Georgia for-bearers and continue that tradition, understanding that there is no tradition more worth of envy, no institution worthy of such loyalty, as the University of Georgia. As we prepare for another meeting between the hedges, let all the Bulldog faithful rally behind the men who now wear the red and black with two words—two simple words which express the sentiments of the entire Bulldog nation: Go Dawgs!"
As the music swells and Munson’s voice becomes more and more intense, the big screen at Sanford Stadium flashes the images of players old and new, performing some of the most heroic plays in the history of Georgia football.
Some of those plays have become more than just Bulldog legend, but have also become the ones for which Larry Munson is most remembered. The greatest calls Larry Munson has ever made.