Tag: Mr. Two Bits

Former Gators tennis champ to serve as honorary Mr. Two Bits vs. USF

Ben Shelton may have moved on from UF to pursue his professional tennis career, but the former national champion will be back in Gainesville for the USF game.

Before Florida hits the road to face Tennessee in Week 4, the Gators have a third-straight home game in the Swamp on Saturday. Another home contest means that another honorary [autotag]Mr. Two Bits[/autotag] needs to be designated, and the UAA has announced that former Gator tennis star [autotag]Ben Shelton[/autotag] will take over the role in Week 3.

Shelton is just 19 years old, but he turned pro after accomplishing nearly all there is to offer in the collegiate world. He was a key member of the 2021 national championship team and claimed the singles championship in 2022.

He made his professional debut at the U.S. Open, falling in five sets during the opening round, but he’ll play in at least six more tournaments before the end of the year.

Over the first two weeks of the season, Florida went with some vets in the Two-Bits role. Legendary wide receiver [autotag]Anthony Reidel[/autotag] and track and field coach [autotag]Mike Holloway[/autotag] served in Weeks 1 and 2, respectively, but Shelton is a change of pace.

As young as he is, Shelton never got to actually see Mr. George E. Edmondson Jr. do his thing, but the UAA says that he’s been brought up to speed on things. It’s also believed that Shelton is the youngest person to serve in the role since the tradition started in 2013.

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Legendary Gators WR to be Mr. Two Bits for season opener against Utah

A Gators legend from the ’90s will don a yellow shirt and a blue and orange tie as the first Mr. Two Bits of the Billy Napier era on Saturday.

It wouldn’t be a Florida Gators game with the Two Bits cheer, and the honorary leader of it on Saturday will be former UF wide receiver [autotag]Reidel Anthony[/autotag], who earned All-America honors in the 1990s while playing for [autotag]Steve Spurrier[/autotag].

Since 2013, Florida has had celebrity dress up in the same yellow shirt and blue and orange tie made famous by Gators superfan George Edmondson to lead the Two Bits chant, and Anthony is the latest Gators legend to claim the honor. [autotag]Percy Harvin[/autotag], [autotag]Chris Doering[/autotag] and [autotag]Ike Hilliard[/autotag] are among the receivers that have been Mr. Two Bits.

An exciting player in college — he once lept into the stands of Tennessee‘s Neyland Stadium to celebrate a touchdown during a 31-0 rout of the Volunteers — Anthony’s routine should be one of the more explosive in recent memory. He’s not letting anyone know his plans, but the Head Ball Coach’s words of wisdom will be in the back of his mind.

“I haven’t gotten that far yet. First, I need to get the rules and regulations,” Anthony said to the UAA. “Coach Spurrier used to always tell me, ‘You know, Reidel, you’re the only one who ended up in the NCAA’s what-not-to-do video they show teams every year.’ I made it three years in a row, so I guess I better see what they allow.”

Single-game tickets have been sold out for the season opener, so there should be a good crowd in the Swamp for Anthony’s Two Bits. There’s excitement in the air for not only the start of the 2022 season but also for the start of the Billy Napier era at UF. Anthony couldn’t pass up a chance to add to that atmosphere.

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