George E. Edmondson Jr. was an insurance salesman from Tampa, Florida who was known to the University of Florida community as "Mr. Two Bits". Edmondson was a fan of the Florida Gators football team, for which he led a traditional "Two Bits' cheer" at football games beginning in 1949. Though he began the practice in an unofficial capacity, it eventually became so popular among fans at Florida Field that he was invited to lead the cheer from midfield before games, which he did from the mid-1970s until 2008. Citing health concerns, he retired from the role after the 2008 season and died in 2019.
"Mr. Two Bits" leading a pre-game cheer
Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, popularly known as "The Swamp", is a football stadium on the campus of the University of Florida in Gainesville and the home field of the Florida Gators football team. It was originally known as Florida Field when it opened as a 22,000-seat facility in 1930, and it has been expanded and renovated many times over the ensuing decades. Most of the university's athletic administrative offices, along with most football-related offices and training areas, have been located in the stadium since the 1960s. Most of the football program's facilities are slated to move to a nearby $60 million building that began construction in 2020.
Steve Spurrier dubbed Florida Field "The Swamp" in 1992
The Gators practicing under the lights before Florida Field's first night game in 1950
Ben Hill Griffin Stadium's luxury boxes, completed in 2003
Ben Hill Griffin Stadium during Florida's win vs. Utah in September 2022