“Friday Night Voices” is a limited series that highlights the longtime radio/streaming broadcasters of area high school football teams. These local legends of the airwaves have seen it all and called it all, and along the way have become synonymous with Friday night football across Northeast Georgia.
You’d be hard-pressed to find another group that’s called as many football games as the team at WCON has. The voice of Habersham Central Raiders football has been, and will continue to be, David Foster and Chris Black. That duo has teamed up on air on 99.3 FM for 35 seasons. Clayton Foster, whose voice you don’t hear but who engineers the broadcast from the stadium while juggling stats, has been at it for 36 years, never missing a contest.
All told, David is in his 37th season calling the Raiders games, dating back to 1989. He’s only missed one game – what would have been his first – because he was hospitalized. If you’ve ever heard a live broadcast of the Raiders, you knew a big moment happened when you heard David emphatically exclaim ‘Oh My’ after a big play.
There have been others on air along the way, such as Jeff Henderson, who was the color commentator when Black was the sideline reporter. David and Chris teamed up in the booth in 1990 and haven’t missed a beat.
How it all started
WCON has been around for a long time, predating 1950. Back in the day, the station even called North and South Habersham games before Habersham Central was established in 1970. WCON has called every Raiders football game since, starting with Ken Philips and Melvin King before David and Chris took over.
Former Georgia State Senator John Foster and his wife Bobbie bought the station in 1961. John was a disc jockey before becoming the owner. He is now 90 and continues to run the business. Bobbie passed away in 2021 after decades of dedication. WCON remains the only family-owned 100-kilowatt station in the state.
That being said, it’s no surprise that David and Clayton Foster, John and Bobbie’s sons, ended up involved.
“We grew up in it,” says Clayton. “As a kid, I’d be cleaning the station and eventually got into real estate. But I’ve worked for 15 years full-time at WCON and part-time just about my whole life.”
David fondly recalls starting the Habersham games and how the team came together.
“Dad started it in 1953, and I started calling the Raiders games in 1989 – only missing the one game. Clayton’s wife [Kimberly] and my wife [Leslie] have been a big part of it, too. It’s a family affair.”
Chris might as well be family, as he and David, both 59, go way back to playing together for the Raiders before graduating in 1983. Chris was the quarterback and punted/kicked, while David was an offensive lineman. Clayton, 62, was also a Raider, playing offensive tackle and graduating in 1980 from Habersham Central.
“Clayton was happy-go-lucky with his equipment, and really blew up what we were already doing,” adds David. “He keeps the stats and keeps us online. Then Chris got into it, and he’s never missed a game.”
“The investment they’ve made is so impressive,” states Chris. “I remember it like it was still yesterday, working and getting that call. David called me and asked if I’d consider doing games as the guy on the sidelines, and I thought I’d love to do that. I’m sure I was nervous; I had to be. I had never interviewed people before – it’s so easy to do now, and I enjoy being a part of this team.”
David leads the WCON team on Friday nights as the play-by-play voice and producer, Chris as the color commentator, and Clayton as the stadium engineer and statistician. Others involved are Kimberly as the scribe for stats, Leslie, who often shoots video from the field, Latonio Harmonson as studio engineer, Rodney Long as spotter, and Mark Ausburn as the 10-year field analyst.
“I don’t even have to make calls anymore,” says David. “It’s just a given – it’s just going to happen every Friday night.”
Best friends and brothers
“Our close relationship makes for a tight bond on and off the air,” says David of his relationship with Chris and Clayton. “Clayton likes doing what I don’t like to do with all the tech side, and vice versa. I think it’s trust. I don’t have to worry about anybody; we’re all going to be here and are committed to being here. It’s a job, but we love to do it.”
The time spent live on air just scratches the surface between Chris and David.
“I was in David’s wedding,” says Chris. “We’ve become best friends. We’ve been around each other because of WCON and basketball and football, and it’s created the fondest memories, even when my son Bennett was playing football and basketball, and even before that, tagging along with us.”
David and Chris can anticipate when the other is going to speak, and have an innate sense of when to speak up or stop talking to let the other one chime in. Sometimes it’s just a pat on the leg from David to Chris to indicate he needs his input. And Clayton keeps it all running smoothly.
“We’re very tight,” adds Clayton. “We trust each other. Whatever they need, we try to make everybody happy. We just all get along.”
“I can always count on Clayton ASAP when I need something,” adds David. “And Chris and I, we don’t try to outdo each other.”
“After being in the booth so long, we just have a good feel for it,” says Chris. “I know when it’s my turn to talk, and not to go too long as well.”
“It’s a special group,” adds 13-year sideline reporter Mark Ausburn, a 1980 Habersham Central grad who played wide receiver and free safety for the Raiders under coach Fred McManus. “We enjoy what we do. I hope that comes through – we enjoy each other.”
Fond memories
“One of my favorite games I called was in 1997, Theo’s [Caldwell] first game as head coach,” remembers David. “Habersham won that game, and it went into overtime. Bryan Black hit Hal Higgins for the winning score. That one stands out.”
To each their own – there are several games to pick from over a 35-year stretch, and Chris has a different one at the front of his mind.
“That 2007 game,” says Chris of the Habersham second round playoff win of 36-35 against Cherokee at home, which went into a second overtime. “That’s the one that always sticks out. When Habersham came up with that 2-point play, and Bo Hatchett kept it. The atmosphere was unbelievable, and it was a great team with Coach [Gene] Cathcart and TK [Tavarres King]. Winning that one to get to the Quarterfinals.”
The duo along with Clayton reeled off other games that were memorable, such as a game at Cedar Shoals in a tropical storm, and so many high-scoring games with the likes of Kevin Ellison on the field. The WCON legends talked about heated rivalry games against Stephens County, and they all agreed that White County in recent years has become just as heated.
The stand outs
While games stand out, players do as well. Sometimes it’s the obvious ones like King and Ellison, and other times it’s the lesser-talked-about former Raiders that were the most fun to watch.
“I still say Kevin Ellison,” says Chris. “He could do everything. TK was phenomenal, but Kevin was multi-dimensional. Nobody could stop him. He’s easily the best that I’ve seen.”
“I don’t disagree,” adds David. “I also think of some great players to watch – Michael Discerio, Kyle London, Nathan Wilson, Chet Sanders, Chase Green, Joshua Pickett, Marty Patterson, Avery Dodd.”
“I also recall Daniel Franklin,” chimes in Clayton. “Anthony King, him too. He was just a big guy, a really good athlete.”
All three preface that conversation with ‘there’s just so many good ones,’ both in talking about games and top players to watch.
“The Douglas County game,” adds Ausburn, who’s been part of the team for 13 years. He’s referencing the 2018 Raiders’ playoff win of 35-0 on the road against #7-ranked Douglas County. “We were a huge underdog in that game, and it was rainy and cold. Something about that night was special. I heard one of their players yell out to his teammates that [Habersham] was supposed to stink. We kept it on, and it was a special night.”
Not signing off anytime soon
“I don’t think there’s anything stopping us,” says David on the prospect of WCON and specifically this team from being on air Friday nights for the Raiders. “We’ll keep doing it til they won’t let us. It takes a huge commitment and a team that’s 100% all-in.”
“They control that,” says Chris on how long he’d like to stay at it. “I’ll show up as long as they are doing it. It’s a big commitment, but I always look forward to it.”
All the guys are closing in on what most would consider retirement age, but a team like this is so hard to replace.
“That’s the thing,” adds Clayton. “To find five guys to take this over and be committed to it and do it at the level we’ve done, that’s going to be hard to find.”
What keeps these guys going, though, isn’t necessarily the lack of a transition plan, but it’s for love of the game and their relationship with each other and the community.
“I coached for Habersham for 38 years at various levels,” adds Ausburn. “Played here, coached here, and everything. Being a part of this team ties everything together. It’s a part of my life that is special.”
“It’s hard to explain — I have people come up to me and talk about hearing us call the game, and I have no idea who they are,” says David. “It makes me feel good that they’re listening and enjoying it, and if you didn’t know, you wouldn’t be able to tell if you were hearing a college game broadcast.”
“I enjoy trying to describe it,” adds Chris. “I always pay attention to how the others are doing it at the college and pro levels, and try to mimic the best ones and what they bring to the call.”
David recalls vividly how, after any game, good or bad for the Raiders, his mom Bobbie would be there to greet him and say ‘Great game, honey.’ While he has nothing left to prove on air, his mom’s memory helps keep him coming back to call a great game.
