One scene between the hedges, one in which he described no action, but was the centerpiece, however, brings him to tears. It was the 2016 Georgia-Tennessee game in Sanford Stadium. Georgia paid tribute to Verne in what would be his last season with CBS and the SEC.
In the beginning he and CBS did not promote a farewell tour, but you know the rest of the story. As CBS made the rounds that season, everywhere the broadcast crew went, they discovered that the host school would be showing appreciation to Verne for his having come the league’s way.
Georgia’s happened to turn out to be his favorite. “When the scoreboard reflected tributes from Gov. Nathan Deal, Greg McGarity, Kirby Smart, Jim Nance, and ‘omigod’ Jack Nicklaus, I was overwhelmed. But then Gary Danielson tapped me on the arm and pointed to the field. The Georgia Redcoat Band had formed ‘Yessir!’ I almost lost it right there in the booth.”
Mike Robinson, director of UGA’s Redcoat Marching Band, had organized the band’s routine to where the Redcoats spelled out “Yessir,” Verne’s famous call when Jack Nicklaus made that legendary birdie putt at the 17th hole at the Masters.
As he spoke in Atlanta, Athens and LaGrange this week, Verne choked up, especially in Athens where there was video accompaniment of the Sanford Stadium scoreboard and the band’s “Yessir” alignment on the field. “All that has a lot to do with why I love this place,” Verne said as he wiped his eyes which prompted a standing ovation.
And yet there are plenty of Dawg fans who will swear otherwise. Strange.
Get The Picture 
Thanks for the memories, Uncle Verne. Thank you , indeed.
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I’m not agreeing with folks like that, but it is just that we grew up with the homerest of homers (I do not mean that as a slight either) calling our games, so anything less seems downright adversarial to a lot of us. That being said, Uncle Verne is the best!
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Glad he is retired….
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You may be, but is that really a civil thing to say to this post? There is always a minority, with a right to an opinion, but when a man is getting his just due from those who loved his efforts, why would you insist on making sure everyone knows the love isn’t unanimous? Fart in your own space. You are out of place and no one cares about your lonely voice; your “get the final shot” is not needed,,,,we knew you were somewhere out there. And folks wonder why there is increased violence in society? It happens in cars on the interstate, and rallies where people show up only to hate and interrupt. Sort of what you just did, in a less significant way. But hey, way to be “that guy”.
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Glad you don’t post here much….
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I will never, ever understand how any sentient human thought he was biased against UGA. You didn’t like his style? Fine. You thought he wasn’t as sharp as he should have been in his last couple of years? Fine. But please lay off the “bias” crack pipe.
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Well said.
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Biased? Well, there was Uncle Vern’s conspicuous silence during the whole Waushaun Ealey eye-gouging no-call at the Cocktail Party a few years back. The CBS producers kept running the clip for the next couple of minutes but good ol’ Vern kept changing the subject. He had way too much Gator love for me to ever GAS about him.
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Yeah… and he notoriously loathed David Greene and David Pollack, too.
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Did you know that David Greene and David Pollack played Pee Wee football together?
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Yes, but only because I remember how livid Uncle Verne was about it.
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CBS, like every other network, loves and pumps front runners. Why? Because they draw the eyeballs. They loved the Davids, loved the GPOOE, have been lovin Bama this decade, etc.
As a matter of fact, I would say they have loved them some Georgia for the last two decades, and can’t think of a single incident where they have shat on us; in fact, I can think of a couple of instances (2007 WLOCP, the Cam game, etc.), where they “had our back” a little. If your biggest complaint is that they didn’t make a “bigger deal” out of a non-call than they arguably should’ve, that is pretty weak sauce….
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Dead on, they play up the guys on top. What do you expect them to do with all that time, tear into a bunch of college players getting their butts whipped? Verne and Gary go with the hot hand, why would they care who plays great each week. The number of switches they have made over the years would indicate it isn’t a personal preference or bias.
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I had tears in my eyes at the end of that game, too.
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Yeah that one stung.
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“WOW !!” is my favorite Verne-ism
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I prefer “lingerie on the field”
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When does Gary Danielson retire? Can we start the farewell tour this weekend? Please?
FWIW, I never had a problem with Verne.
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Yep, that will be worth celebrating…
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Love the guy… Nothing but class…
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I always loved Verne but CBS has also hit a homerun with Brad Nessler. They replaced a legend about as well as you could expect.
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Gotta have a deep lineup Anthony, never know when someone will go down!
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Verne dancing to “Soulja Boy” during the Auburn Blackout is forever ingrained in my mind.
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Uncle Verne and Loran Smith stopped in Vidalia today (10/24/18) for lunch on their way to Jax. They invited a few people to lunch and a good time was had by all. I have know Mr. Smith for many years, the first time I have met Mr. Lundquist. Very nice man. He did not have to agree with Loran about stopping and certainly about inviting a few locals, but he put up with all of the invited and uninvited quest showing up and he answer every dumb question asked. Can not say enough about how nice this man was to us guest. It was a pleasure just to meet the man..
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That is damn awesome! I had heard he was touring South Georgia with Loren on their way to WLOCP!!
Talk about being I fly on the wall……
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I had the pleasure of being an invited guest of the Munson family when they dedicated the radio booth in Larry’s memory. During a break in the game Verne stepped away from the CBS booth and made his way outside to greet the Munson family, chat a bit, and pose for a myriad of photos. He didn’t have to do it, he requested it. Such a class act, yes sir! Unfortunately (or fortunately for us) his broadcast partner couldn’t be bothered with such nonsense. Class act all the way.
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