Like me, the original Mr. Two-Bits, George Edmonton, Jr., never went to the University of Florida. He attended the Citadel for two years, but with the US involvement in World Ward II, he joined the US Navy and flew F6F Hellcats in the Pacific theater. After the war, he settled in Tampa and sold insurance. In 1949, a friend gave him a ticket to see The Citadel play against the Florida Gators in the season opener for both teams. The Gators had lost five of their last six games the previous season, and were not expected to do a whole lot better in the 1949 season. When the fans booed the players and coaches even before the opening kickoff, Edmonson decided to try and boost the players’ morale by leading fans in a cheer: “Two bits! Four bits! Six bits! A dollar! All for the Gators, stand up and holler!” It may seem like a corny cheer in 2026, but evidently in 1949, it was quite catchy. The fans loved it, and the Gators won the game. Fans were so enthusiastic about it that Edmondson returned the next Saturday to lead the cheer again. He led the “Two-Bits” cheer at almost every home game for the next 60 years before retiring after the 2008 season, whose home finale was, of all things, against The Citadel again. UF finally made him an honorary alumnus in 2005, and he took to calling it his new alma mater.

George Edmonson, Jr. died in 2019 at the age of 97.

Since 2013, a lucky alum or student contest winner has been selected to be an honorary Mr. Two-Bits and join Albert the Alligator at midfield to lead the famous Two-Bits cheer during pregame festivities. The Florida Gators and the University Athletic Association made a video about the Mr. Two-Bits tradition featuring the late Mr. Two-Bits himself.

Since 2023, I have been honoring the Mr. Two-Bits legacy by dressing as Mr. Two-Bits on Fridays before Gator home games. The FRE Department communications specialist, Alena Poulin, wrote a blog post about this tradition, and we made a little promotional video.