Louis Oliver Is Today's Mr. Two Bits

Before the biggest game of the season, The Swamp gets a legend.

Former Florida All-American safety Louis Oliver is the honorary Mr. Two Bits for today's showdown with No. 4 Ole Miss. He'll lead the cheer in front of a packed Swamp — and there isn't a better man for the job.

A Gator great

Oliver played at Florida from 1985 to 1988 and became one of the great defensive players in school history: a two-time first-team All-American and two-time first-team All-SEC safety, a two-time Academic All-American and a first-round NFL draft pick.

He went on to a seven-year NFL career with the Miami Dolphins and Cincinnati Bengals. But in Gainesville, he's remembered first as a Gator — a hitter, a leader, and one of the great defensive backs to ever wear the orange and blue.

The tradition

Mr. Two Bits is one of the great traditions in college football. It started in 1949 with George Edmondson, a Tampa insurance salesman who led the "Two Bits" cheer from the stands for nearly 60 years. Since 2009, students and famous alumni have taken over the role during pregame, with a higher-profile guest usually tapped for the biggest games.

Before every home game, the honorary Two Bits leads the crowd in the cheer — and in a game this big, that moment sets the tone for the entire afternoon.

The era he represents

Oliver's Gator years — 1985 through 1988 — were some of the most talent-loaded seasons in school history. Those defenses were ferocious, and Oliver was the eraser in the secondary: an All-American who could cover the whole field and hit like a linebacker.

Gator fans of a certain age remember exactly what it felt like to watch him patrol the back end of The Swamp. Today's crowd gets to welcome him home for the biggest game of the season.

Why today matters

This isn't just any Saturday. No. 21 vs. No. 4. Both teams 3-0. A first 4-0 start since 2019 on the line. A series tied 13-13-2.

Having a Gator legend fire up the crowd before kickoff is the perfect start to the biggest home game of the Jon Sumrall era.

The Swamp will be loud today. It always is. But when Louis Oliver leads the Two Bits cheer, it'll be deafening.

Welcome home, Louis. Lead the chomp. 🐊

Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated Louis Oliver's years at Florida, the length of his NFL career and the series record. Oliver played at Florida from 1985 to 1988 and spent seven seasons in the NFL, and the series is tied 13-13-2.