For the past 10 seasons, every Florida home game has featured an honorary Mr. Two Bits who leads a pre-game cheer.
For those unfamiliar, an insurance salesman named George Edmonson began the Two Bits cheer at Gators games in 1949 and continued to do so until 2008 when he retired from the role. Edmonson became incredibly popular amongst the Florida fanbase and eventually moved onto the field to lead the cheer in a more official manner.
Since his retirement, the Gators have had guest Mr. Two Bits take over the cheer. Each honoree dons some version of the yellow shirt and orange-and-blue striped tie Edmondson wore every week, but no current member of the football program has ever taken over the role… until now.
The Gators announced that legendary linebacker and student assistant coach Brandon Spikes would lead the Two Bits cheer ahead of Saturday’s regular-season finale against the Florida State Seminoles.
“The (Florida State) game was always a big one on my calendar,” Spikes said. “I’m going to be the guy getting everybody going before the battle. That means a lot to me.”
Spikes is back in Gainesville to get his degree, and it was a no-brainer for Billy Napier to give him a spot on the staff. He’s loud, motivating and a fan favorite from his time as a player under Urban Meyer. In many ways, he’s the perfect person to take over the role, especially against FSU.
Both the Gators and Seminoles will be starting backup quarterbacks, so anything could happen despite the obvious talent gap between 5-6 Florida and No. 4 Florida State. There’s no doubt Spikes will have a sold-out crowd at its loudest by kickoff.
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