Mr. Two Bits

Who is Mr. Two Bits?

George Edmondson, Jr. of Tampa, Florida, known to the University of Florida community as "Mr. Two Bits," is a football fan of—and cheerleader for—the Florida Gators football team.

Before the beginning of University of Florida home football games, Mr. Two Bits comes to midfield wearing his signature yellow shirt with a blue and orange tie to lead the crowd in the "two bits" cheer. Mr. Two Bits silences the crowd by blowing a whistle and holding up a sign which reads "2 Bits." Once the crowd has drawn silent, Mr. Two Bits points to the crowd which signals the beginning of the cheer and the fans begin to cheer:

Two Bits!

Four Bits!

Six Bits!

A Dollar!

All for the Gators Stand up and holler!

The cheer began when Edmondson attended the season opener for Florida in 1949 against his alma mater, The Citadel. The Gators had lost five of their last six games the previous year and were not expected to do any better. When the fans booed the players and the coach even before the opening kickoff, Edmondson decided to boost their morale by leading them in a cheer about adding up bits. The fans around him were so encouraged that he returned the next Saturday and repeated his direction. Soon he began the pattern he would use for almost all of the games he attended: moving around throughout the game to lead different sections of the stadium in his cheer.