Gwinnett Daily Post

Two well-known names in the Gwinnett and metro Atlanta area were inducted into the Georgia Radio Hall of Fame last weekend, honored for their roles in helping make the state's broadcasting legacy one to remember.

Dacula resident Phil Schaefer, a mainstay on Georgia sports broadcasts for decades, and the late Robert McGarity, the longtime voice of Central Gwinnett football, were among the dozen or so honorees.

"It was a surprise," Schaefer said this week. "In fact, I went to the banquet not really expecting to be inducted. So it was a surprise and certainly a pleasant surprise."

During his long career, Schaefer did Atlanta Hawks play-by-play, Georgia football color commentary alongside the legendary Larry Munson and NCAA basketball tournament broadcasts, among many others.

He was named Georgia's Sportscaster of the Year three times.

McGarity's voice was certainly a familiar one to high school football fans across Gwinnett County. His broadcasting career began in the 1950s, and McGarity moved to Lawrenceville in 1959.

He quickly became the play-by-play voice of Central Gwinnett football, a title he would hold for nearly four decades. McGarity is also credited with penning the Black Knight fight song in the 1960s.

McGarity, who passed away in 2007, was honored as a "Legacy" inductee.