ATHENS, Ga. -- Plenty of Georgia fans and media will put together a list of the best Larry Munson calls of all time after his death Sunday at age 89.
Here is a list of his top 10 favorite calls, according to his 2009 autobiography, “From Herschel to a Hobnail Boot: The Life and Times of Larry Munson,” which was co-written with Tony Barnhart. Click on the link to hear audio of the call from LarryMunson.com:
10. Georgia beat Tennessee in Knoxville: Nov. 3, 1973, Georgia 35, Tennessee 31: Barnhart observes that Munson’s enthusiastic call in the final moments of Georgia’s 1973 win against Tennessee is the moment when Bulldogs fans finally embrace Minnesota-born Munson as their own. Georgia scores the winning touchdown in the final minutes as the ball bounces back to quarterback Andy Johnson after a botched handoff, and he runs for the game-winning 8-yard touchdown. “My God! Georgia beat Tennessee in Knoxville! Georgia has defeated Tennessee 35-31 in Neyland Stadium!” Munson says.
9. Arnold got it: Dec. 2, 1978, Georgia 29, Georgia Tech 28: Georgia rallies from a 20-0 deficit to go ahead 21-20 when Scott Woerner returns a punt for a 72-yard touchdown. “Now there is no sense in going away, because you know it’s not going to end like this,” Munson tells the listeners. Tech’s Drew Hill then reclaims the lead by returning the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown, and the Jackets make a two-point conversion to go up 28-21. Georgia responds when Buck Belue hits Anthony Arnold for a 42-yard touchdown pass on fourth down, then pitches to Arnold on a two-point run to clinch the victory. “Belue pitched the ball. Arnold got it! Anthony Arnold got two points!” Munson says.
8. Oh God, a touchdown: Nov. 16, 2002, Georgia 24, Auburn 21: Georgia had not won the SEC title since 1982, but was in position to do so when it visited Auburn in 2002, Mark Richt’s second season at UGA. Auburn led 21-17 in the closing minutes before David Greene hit Michael Johnson with a 19-yard touchdown pass on fourth down with 1:25 to play. “Touchdown! Oh God, a touchdown!” Munson screams as Johnson pulls down the touchdown pass over two Tigers defenders.
7. Worse than bonkers: Sept. 22, 1984, Georgia 26, Clemson 23: Georgia trails No. 2 Clemson 20-6 early before rallying to take a 23-20 lead. It’s 23-all when Georgia’s final drive stalls at the Clemson 44-yard line. Coach Vince Dooley sends on place-kicker Kevin Butler to attempt a 60-yard field goal in the closing seconds -- a distance that Munson initially describes as “a hundred-thousand miles.” As Butler’s winning kick clears the crossbar, Munson says, "Oh my God! Oh my God! The stadium is worse than bonkers! Eleven seconds! I can’t believe what he did! This is ungodly!"
6. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah: Oct. 28, 1978, Georgia 17, Kentucky 16: Rex Robinson kicks the winning 29-yard field goal with 8 seconds remaining, capping a comeback from a 16-0 deficit. Munson never says the kick is good. His description -- "He kicks it up, it looks good. Watch it! Watch it! Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!" -- got the job done for most of the folks listening. "He kicked the whatchamacallit out of it," Munson says later.
5. Looking at the sugar falling out of the sky: Nov. 13, 1982, Georgia 19, Auburn 14: Munson begs Georgia’s defense to stave off Auburn’s last-ditch comeback effort. "I know I’m asking a lot, you guys, but hunker it down one more time!" Munson pleads. After Auburn quarterback Randy Campbell throws incomplete on a final fourth-down pass, Georgia is able to run out the clock to claim an SEC championship and a spot in the Sugar Bowl. "Look at the sugar falling out of the sky," Munson says as the final seconds tick off the clock.
4. My God a freshman: Sept. 6, 1980, Georgia 16, Tennessee 15: Georgia rallies to beat Tennessee in the first game of the 1980 national championship season behind freshman running back Herschel Walker. On Herschel’s first touchdown run, he plows over Tennessee safety Bill Bates near the goal line, and Munson commemorates the moment with this: "He’s running all over people! Oh, you, Herschel Walker. My God Almighty, he ran right through two men. They had him dead-away inside the 9. Herschel Walker went 16 yards. He drove right over orange shirts, just driving and running with those big thighs. My God, a freshman!"
3. Appleby to Washington: Nov. 8, 1975, Georgia 10, Florida 7: Richard Appleby hits speedster Gene Washington, who would attempt to qualify in track for the 1976 Olympics, with a reverse pass for the game-winning 80-yard touchdown. "Washington caught it, thinking of Montreal and the Olympics, and ran out of his shoes right down the middle 80 yards! Gator Bowl rocking, stunned, the girders are bending now. Look at the score!" Munson says.
2. Run Lindsay Run: Nov. 8, 1980, Georgia 26, Florida 21: Munson implores Lindsay Scott to go the distance with a 93-yard touchdown catch in the final seconds as the Bulldogs earn a comeback win on the way to a national title. "Run, Lindsay!" Munson says, later adding, "Lindsay Scott! Lindsay Scott, Lindsay Scott!" as he crosses the goal line. As he reflects on the touchdown, Munson tells listeners, "I broke my chair. I came right through a chair. A metal steel chair with about a 5-inch cushion. I broke it. The booth came apart. The stadium, well, the stadium fell down. Now they do have to renovate this thing. They'll have to rebuild it now."
1. The Hobnail Boot: Oct. 6, 2001, Georgia 26, Tennessee 24: Munson says, "We just stepped on their face with a hobnail boot and broke their nose. We just crushed their face," after Verron Haynes' game-winning touchdown catch in the final seconds at Neyland Stadium gives Richt a rare UGA victory against Tennessee and his first signature victory as the Bulldogs' head coach.