For the first time since the 2000 season, SEC fans won’t be hearing the familiar voice of Verne Lundquist on Saturdays this fall.

Lundquist, affectionately known as Uncle Verne, called it a career at the end of the 2016 season. Richard Johnson of SB Nation recently caught up with Lundquist in Newport, R.I. where he was emceeing AAC Media Days.

While Lundquist will miss visiting SEC campuses, he won’t necessarily miss traveling there. Living in Steamboat Springs, Co., he didn’t have many nonstop flights to SEC cities.

“Chris Fowler, who’s a dear friend, when he was hosting ‘GameDay,’ said the three most dreaded words in travel are: Atlanta Delta connection,” Lundquist said. “I told Chris, I want that on my tombstone, and he’s right. So I won’t miss that. We’ve lived, by choice, in a mountain resort, and there are no nonstops from Steamboat Springs to Tuscaloosa.

“But the actual experience, there’s nothing like it. And I’ll miss that for sure.”

Last year’s experience was particularly special for Lundquist, where he received farewell gifts on a weekly basis.

“Every stop. Every stop,” Lundquist said. “I mean, we’ve got framed jerseys, I don’t know what the hell we’re gonna do with ‘em. All the stuff is going to my alma mater when I pass. But that was — I guess it was the unexpected nature of it. It started with A&M-UCLA and Kevin Sumlin. And he gave me a pair of cowboy boots and a framed No. 12 jersey, and if you grow up in Texas like I did, you understand …”

This season, Lundquist will still be watching SEC football, and offering feedback to his former partner, Gary Danielson.

“I’m gonna call Gary and say, ‘what the hell were you thinking? Why did you say that?’”

Johnson’s full feature on Lundquist can be found here.