We're sad to report that the distinctive voice of famed race announcer and commercial producer Larry Huffman is no more. Larry passed away this morning at age 83.
Dubbed "Supermouth" by the Los Angeles Times, Huffman's distinct voice and incredible one-liners made him perhaps the most impactful live supercross announcer ever, as his call is the sound track to so many races of the 1970s and 1980s, when the nicknames, the race call and the volume itself was so darned big. Every fan of that era has a favorite Huffman line, which often mark the time in history he was both calling, and referencing. Like, "I think I just saw a German soldier stick his head out of one of those ruts." Or "He's on him like a Hare Krishna on an airport traveler." There's also, "Tougher than a $2 steak." He also helped usher in the mega era of motocross nicknames, like Broc "Golden Boy" Glover and Mark "The Bomber" Barnett, Mike "Too Tall" Bell and, of course, Bob "Hurricane" Hannah.
Larry passed this week due to continued complications from multiple foot surgeries.
There are no public memorial plans at this time.
Godspeed, Larry. His AMA Hall of Fame biography is below.
For more on Huffman, check out the podcast he did with Steve Matthes back in April 2021 to talk about how he got into announcing, his career, and more.
Moto Verte
The following bio is from the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame, where Huffman was inducted as a member of the class of 2008:
Larry Huffman combined an early career as a disc jockey and a passion for motorcycling to create a lifelong career as a race announcer.
Huffman started announcing at California's Costa Mesa Speedway in the late 1960s. Since then, he has announced at nearly every type of motorcycle race,
including Supercross, Arenacross, ice racing, drag racing, flat track, roadracing, Speedway and hillclimb. He has announced at motorcycle races in nearly every major city in the United States, Canada and Japan.
Huffman was the announcer at the first Superbowl of Motocross at the Los Angeles Coliseum in 1972, and was soon after nicknamed "Supermouth" by the Los Angeles Times for his 300 word-per-minute delivery and his ability to excite crowds. He is credited with being an integral part of early Supercross shows and is widely recognized as the original "Voice of Supercross."
Huffman created and produced the first motorcycle magazine television show to air on a major American network, "Motorcycle World with Larry Huffman," which was followed by a radio version of the show that aired in many California cities.
Huffman co-wrote and co-produced the motion picture "On Any Sunday II," and provided announcer roles for numerous TV shows, including "Charlie's Angels," "CHiPs," "Miami Vice," "Fantasy Island" and "Knight Rider." Huffman was the announcer in the 1994 award-winning Miller Lite "Weinerdog Winternationals" commercial that aired during the Olympics, the World Series and the Superbowl.
Huffman has served as a color commentator for ABC, CBS, NBC, TNN, ESPN and Speedvision. Many racers have benefited from Huffman's in-studio PR course, where they learned to improve their television interview skills. Graduates of the course include Hall of Famers Jeff Ward, Rick Johnson, Mark Barnett, Scott Parker, Wayne Rainey, Kent Howerton and Eddie Lawson.
At the time of his induction into the Hall of Fame, Huffman lived in
Big Bear City, Calif., where he operates his PR and announcing business,
Larry Huffman Enterprises.
Larry Huffman was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2008.
