[vincesanity82]

This afternoon, Larry Munson, the legendary voice of the Georgia Bulldogs, has announced his retirement. It will be effective immediately and ends a 42 year career in the booth for Georgia.

I don't care who you are or who you cheer for, if this doesn't stir a little emotion or nostalgia in you, you're just not a football fan.

Georgia's Larry Munson Retires - NCAA Football FanHouse

[JRL]

I knew it was coming but it is still tough. I started following the Dawgs the year before Munson arrived and have enjoyed him since day one. I can't remember how many times I muted the TV sound and listened to Munson.

[Robertdjr]

Originally Posted by JRL

I can't remember how many times I muted the TV sound and listened to Munson.

I always did the same thing. Nobody could call a Bulldog game like Munson. I know his health is getting worse, so I wish him all the best in his days of retirement.

“Oh look at the Sugar falling out of the sky! Look at the Sugar falling out of the sky!"

[Stoney]

He picked the best game to end his career on... Alabama-vs-Georgia

Gee Richt is really pulling out all the stops to fire up his fanbase. What's left the kitchen sink? Does Herschel Walker retire his jersey or something at half time?

[JRL]

Originally Posted by Stoney

He picked the best game to end his career on... Alabama-vs-Georgia

Gee Richt is really pulling out all the stops to fire up his fanbase. What's left the kitchen sink? Does Herschel Walker retire his jersey or something at half time?

Stoney WTF are you talking about? Richt had nothing to do with Munson retiring. Jesus Stoney you are either incredibly paranoid or naive beyond belief - the guy is 86 years old

Richt doesn't need to fire up the fan base - the nit wits are providing all the fire needed. (Note to some of the Bama fans - fan base is two words)

[Stoney]

You mean to tell me you don't find it the slightest bit irionic that he picked this game to be his last? I know Larry is old but he couldn't have retired before the season or after the season?

[JRL]

Originally Posted by Stoney

You mean to tell me you don't find it the slightest bit irionic that he picked this game to be his last? I know Larry is old but he couldn't have retired before the season or after the season?

No it had nothing to do with this game the guy is on his last leg. He stopped doing road games last year and was hoping to do homes games again this year but his mind is gone. Sad really - we will likely never see the likes of the Munson types again as radio has been replaced by TV and that medium has no requirement to "paint the picture"

How could you possibly twist this event into some kind of motivational ploy? I thought you were brighter than that.

[Stoney]

Gee ya'll didn't get him his Aricept so he could go out in a blaze of glory?

[Stoney]

Alabama's O-line pushes around competition.
Five huge, strong, nasty and smart guys, all working together with exceptional chemistry. They smash and mash opponents, breaking down bodies and spirits. They impose their power early and only grow stronger as the fight unfolds. They feed off any weakness of will they sense in the men across the line.They are the offensive line of the Alabama Crimson Tide. They represent both their team's best hope and Georgia's biggest challenge Saturday night (ESPN, 7:45 ET) between Athens' famous hedges.



By name, they are (left to right) Andre Smith, Mike Johnson, Antoine Caldwell, Marlon Davis and Drew Davis. That's this week's scheduled lineup anyway. In the past 17 games, Bama has used nine different O-line combos, mostly due to small injuries. So, add versatility to the list of superlatives above.


Left tackle Smith is a Playboy All-American and a certain future NFL stud. He is reserved and hardly quick to brag about his group's prowess. All-SEC senior center Caldwell shares no such shyness. Antoine is a talker, on and off the field. In fact, I have rarely spent time visiting on the phone with a college football player who expresses himself better than Mr. Caldwell. No. 59 has quickly become one of my favorites to watch and chat with.


Ringside in the opener against Clemson, I found myself focusing on the beating being dished out to Clemson's defense with each snap. Andre, Antoine and their buddies shocked the Tigers with raw power from the first few snaps. As Caldwell related, his guys could see the expressions on the Tigers' faces. They seemed to say, "Dang, we sure didn't practice or prepare to be hit this hard this frequently."


Few teams do. That's why it's often a jolt to step in against a line as beefy and nasty as the Tide's.


Big Antoine says it's a beautiful feeling for an offensive lineman, watching the desire drain from a defender. He says the focus is to become more effective as each quarter passes. "We take a lot of pride in making the other guys break down."


It happened again last week at Arkansas. The poor Hogs, now used to practicing against a finesse spread offense, had no answer whatsoever for the punishment dished out up front. Glen Coffee and Mark Ingram, a nice veteran/rookie tandem, had holes (make that canyons) to run through all day.


In just a few games, the Tide has sent strong messages to all corners of the conference, via the game videos. Any Alabama opponent must reckon with these guys before thinking about the ball carriers.
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AP Photo/University of Georgia
Larry Munson, the legendary voice of Georgia football, has retired from the radio booth.


Caldwell told me the line's development began just two weeks after the bowl win over Colorado. In a meeting room, staring at a tape projected on a screen, the linemen began to study their mistakes and vowed to improve. It carried over into the weight room throughout the winter.



"We don't want to be a good offensive line. We want to be a great one," Caldwell says. "Coach Saban is always talking about each team having an 'identity'. As an offensive line, we want to represent that identity."


It is an identity that can be dramatically expanded at Georgia Saturday night. The Dawgs are not small up front. They feature three seniors and one junior starter, all stout enough to stand in there against most lines and allow speedy 'backers like Rennie Curran and Dannell Ellerbe to fly around and make plays.


It should be a great battle at the line of scrimmage and you can bet I'll have my attention focused right there when Bama has the ball. That's where it'll be decided.

Not there to call the action, sadly, is Larry Munson. The living legend and voice of Georgia was planning to call only the Bulldogs' home games this year, but abruptly announced his immediate retirement this week and says he will watch Georgia versus Alabama from home. After 16 years calling Vanderbilt games, Munson arrived as Georgia's play-by-play man in 1966. Since then, his colorful calls have been the soundtrack for all of Georgia's great moments. We will play a few of them Saturday, during our long-awaited return to Athens for the first "GameDay" show there since 1998. We have reached out to Larry and hope that he will consider visiting the set area to take a curtain call for a couple thousand of his Red and Black-clad admirers. (And a few of us not dressed in those colors.)

[JRL]

I had hope that he would make it through the year but alas mother nature and father time are relentless.

In hindsight he should have retired year before last - and gone out on a high note.