Loran Smith to be inducted into Georgia Radio Hall of Fame

Staff Reports

ATHENS, Ga. — Loran Smith will add to his incredibly lengthy ledger of achievements on Saturday when he is inducted into the Georgia Radio Hall of Fame. Ceremonies will be held at the Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center beginning at 5:00 p.m.

Smith’s radio career has been a vital portion of his diverse career and also highlights his role as an innovator across numerous media platforms.

In the 1970s, Smith originated the first live football coaches’ locker room radio show following Georgia football games. In 1974, he became the Bulldogs’ first sideline announcer with Georgia fans anxiously awaiting his reports from field level when Larry Munson commanded “Whaddaya got, Loran?” Smith continues to co-host the Georgia Radio Network’s pre-game Tailgate Show, which he originated in 1984.

In addition to his work with the Bulldogs, Smith’s weekly radio show, “Sports Conversations,” currently airs on approximately 50 radio stations throughout Georgia. His daily show, “Two Minute Drill,” runs on more than 30 stations statewide. The list of his guests reads like a “Who’s Who” in sports history, with names such as Red Grange, Satchel Paige, Stan Musial, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, T. Boone Pickens, Herschel Walker, Aaron Boone, Lee Trevino, Nick Saban, Dan Reeves and Keith Jackson.

Smith is a prolific journalist. He has served as a columnist for the Athens Banner-Herald for decades and his column is syndicated in more than 20 Georgia weekly newspapers. Smith also has authored or co-authored 17 books about Georgia football and other topics such are fly fishing and tailgating recipes. He also wrote the first five Masters Annuals, an official publication of the Augusta National Golf Club.

A native of Wrightsville, Smith graduated from the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism in 1962. He also served as captain of the Bulldogs’ track & field team in 1960 and was the program’s MVP as a senior. Smith never left Athens, originally joining the Athletic Association staff as an assistant sports information director and eventually serving as executive director of the Georgia Bulldog Club.

Joining Smith in the Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026 are: Dallas McCade from Atlanta’s New Country 101.FIVE; Greg Street whose show “6 O’Clock Jump Off” on Atlanta’s V-103 served as a launchpad for a generation of Southern artists including OutKast, T.I. and Ludacris; Joel Williamson, longtime morning show hose on WDUN in Gainesville, Y-106 in Atlanta and currently WCON throughout Northeast Georgia; and Marcy Williams, a trusted news voice for 95.5 WSB since the 1980s.