What if Larry Munson had stayed with the Braves? Bob Hope on Milo, Ernie, Pete and Skip

Did you know that famous UGA announcer Larry Munson was one of the Braves original announcers in 1966? Former Braves executive Bob Hope talks about Munson, Milo Hamilton, Ernie Johnson, Pete Van Wieren and Skip Caray.

Larry Munson was a legend in the state of Georgia. He broadcast University of Georgia football games from 1966 through 2008. It was a 42-year run of broadcast excellence that will likely never be matched again.

But most do not know that Munson was originally a baseball announcer. Munson started broadcasting Nashville Vols minor league baseball games in the mid-1950s and then started broadcasting basketball and then football games at Vanderbilt.

In 1966, Munson became one of the first announcers of the Atlanta Braves, the first professional sports team in the south. Munson joined Milo Hamilton, who had been the voice of the Chicago White Sox, and former Braves pitcher Ernie Johnson.

Munson would last only one year, as Hamilton did not like having someone he thought was beneath him in the booth. But luckily, Munson found other gainful employment.

According to Munson’s Wikipedia page:

In March 1966, Munson was in West Palm Beach, Florida, for the Braves' spring training and read in the Atlanta Journal that Georgia Bulldogs football radio announcer Ed Thilenius was resigning to become a broadcaster for the new Atlanta Falcons National Football League franchise. The next day, Munson called Georgia athletics director Joel Eaves to express his interest in the Georgia job, and Munson was hired shortly thereafter.

Thankfully, Munson had a great career in Athens. But can you imagine if he had stayed with the Braves? Former Braves executive Bob Hope told Bill Shanks about how Munson and Hamilton didn’t click very well in the broadcast booth.

Listen to The Bill Shanks Show weekdays at 3:00 p.m. ET on Middle Georgia’s ESPN. You can listen online at TheSuperStations.com. Follow Bill on Twitter at @billshanks and you can email him at thebillshanksshow@yahoo.com.