University of Georgia Athletics
The Legendary Loran Smith
November 20, 2014 | General
By Anne Noland
Loran Smith pushed off from his desk and leaned back in his big, leather chair. He gazed out the window, his eyes seeing more than the blue sky and golden leaves twinkling outside in the wind. He was looking back, remembering. He was talking about Larry Munson. But he interrupted his reflections to exclaim, "My chair's broken!"
The typically put-together Smith was lounging so far back that he was nearly parallel to the floor. He paused. Smith's old friend Munson was known to famously break his own chair a time or two. The smile lines around Smith's eyes grew deeper for a moment before he continued telling stories of how their friendship began.
Munson is a name that takes us all back. We can hear his voice in an instant. We remember when sugar fell from the sky, we remember when Lindsay ran, we remember that unmistakable hobnail boot. Yeah, yeah, yeah, Munson is a special name to the Bulldog Nation.
On this week three years ago, Larry Munson left us. He died on Nov. 20, 2011 at the age of 89. We all mourned his loss, a loss that still stings to this day. But we also celebrate him. Indeed, he reminds us each Saturday that there is no institution worthy of such loyalty as the University of Georgia.
As we pause to remember one, it is only fitting that we also honor his counterpart. We could not have imagined one without the other. They were the ultimate dream team, the voices that struck a cord deep in the hearts of the Bulldog faithful.
Smith was the high-pitched, smooth, southern melody to Munson's gravelly, deep and explosive play calling. Munson began on the broadcast in 1966 and Smith in 1974. "For years and years and years, it wasn't just 'Munson.' It was 'Larry and Loran,'" Scott Howard, Georgia's current play-by-play announcer, says.
Now, 40 years after their first season on the air together, Smith can still be heard talking Georgia football on the radio, his voice a little slower and softer but smooth as ever. He is without his most famous colleague, but Smith is a legend in his own right.
"Loran is the ultimate jack of all trades," Claude Felton, Georgia's longtime sports communications director puts it. He is a staff member at the UGA Athletic Association, but he is much more than that. Smith is an author, fundraiser, columnist, syndicated radio talk show host, former sideline and locker room reporter, sports historian and friend to thousands around the globe. "He is a magnificent ambassador of the university," Felton says.
When Smith is not socializing with his incredible list of contacts (ranging from Hollywood celebrities to NFL head coaches), he is likely writing a new book, developing the script for his radio show or working on a feature story of an old or a new friend. His pride is the University of Georgia, but his joy is celebrating the accomplishments of others. And so to the man who makes a living honoring his comrades, we take a moment to honor you.
People know the name Loran Smith, especially around Georgia and the Southeast. But the man behind the name, behind the radio voice, is a husband, father and grandfather. He is up before the sun each morning, coming into work early to write. He goes back home to eat breakfast with his wife, Myrna, and take a walk. Then he is back to work. After every home game, he and Myrna welcome friends to their home for a burger and stories about the good ole days. He is, as Felton describes, "the epitome of a southern host."
Smith is almost always seen in khaki pants, a button-down, a blazer and Sperry Top-Siders. His white hair is perfectly in place, as is his smile. He is remarkable at remembering people's names. But if one slips his mind, it will be, "How ya doin', old boy?" If he finds something funny or delightful, he will let out a brief belly laugh that sounds nothing short of genuine.
If you can catch Smith on the phone, it is not uncommon for him to end the conversation with, "I'm writing a book, I've gotta go!" Yet his urgency to get back to work is not set to the sound of stress but rather excitement. He admits that he likes to stay busy, and those that work alongside Smith each day know that he is driven by an unparalleled love for what he does. "It's amazing all the things he juggles at the same time," Felton says. "And he's always dreaming up new ideas, thinking of new things to do."
Yet remarkably, Loran Smith never seems to be in a hurry. He will not rush a "hello" in the hallway or a gathering with friends over food. Most importantly for the Bulldog Nation, Smith is in no hurry to put down his pen. He plans on working and writing as long as he is physically able. "Loran will always have a place," Felton says. He has far too many ideas to stop now.
In October 2013, after Georgia's thrilling 44-41 win over LSU, Smith published a special piece of writing for his weekly column, which is printed in newspapers statewide. This was a letter addressed to "Larry Munson, Cloud 9, Bulldog Heaven." He had to tell his counterpart about the game, about the team, about the excitement of the season. Indeed, we all wonder what memorable thing Munson would have left us with at the end of any big game. Smith's letter to Munson last year put words around what we all were feeling. "I was in the press box," Smith writes to Munson, "hearing you from somewhere, saying, 'Hunker down you guys, just one more time.'"
With all that Smith has contributed in his nearly 50 years at Georgia, he is considered by many to be a legend. When he hears that, Smith looks wide-eyed and laughs. "Oh boy, I can't imagine. I can't imagine being a legend."
So maybe his letters will never be signed, "The Legendary Loran Smith," though many of us admit that they could be. Maybe, instead, Smith would rather be identified only one way, by any and all who know his name. Maybe Smith closed his letter to Munson with the four words by which he would hope to be remembered.
"Your Old Friend, Loran."