Georgia's Larry Munson Retires

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. You can turn in your foam finger and replica jersey at the front desk on your way out.

It seems that Munson, who turns 86 this weekend, just doesn't have it in him any more. He stopped traveling to away games last season for health reasons and, although it wasn't expressly stated in the press release, I simply cannot imagine that anything short of physical inability would keep him out of the booth.

After all, does this call from the 1980 Georgia/Florida read like a man who could ever get tired of calling Georgia Football:

Buck back. Third down on the 8. In trouble. Got a block behind him. Going to throw on the run. Complete to the 25, to the 30. Lindsay Scott 35, 40. Lindsay Scott 45, 50, 45, 40. Run Lindsay! Twenty-five, 20, 15, 10, 5. Lindsay Scott! Lindsay Scott! Lindsay Scott! Well, I don't believe it. 92 yards and Lindsay really got in a footrace, I broke my chair, I came right through a chair, a metal STEEL chair...Do you know what is gonna happen here tonight? And up at St. Simons, Jekyll Island, and all those places, where all those Dawg people have got those condominiums for four days...MAN, is there gonna be some property destroyed tonight!

Though this cliche will be oft-used in talking about Munson in the coming days, it truly is the end of an era.