Florida great Louis Oliver to serve as Mr. Two Bits for Ole Miss game

Florida football legend Louis Oliver will serve as celebrity Mr. Two Bits on Saturday when the Gators host the Ole Miss Rebels inside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

Oliver began his collegiate career as a walk-on defensive back at Florida in 1984 and went on to earn numerous accolades before embarking on a successful professional career. He was a first-team All-American, a two-time first-team All-Southeastern selection and a two-time Academic All-American while wearing the Orange and Blue.

The 6-foot-2, 225-pound free safety finished his UF tenure with 11 interceptions returned for a cumulative 173 yards over 43 games. His season high came in 1987, when he snagged five picks for a conference-high 96 total return yards.

That same year, the speedy Oliver teamed up with three other football players — cornerback Tony Jones, receiver Ed Frazier and receiver Stacey Simmons — and recorded the fastest time in the country and the fourth-best time in the world in the 4x200 meter indoor relay, according to the university's archives.

After his redshirt senior campaign, Oliver was selected in the first round of the 1989 NFL Draft with the 25th overall pick by the Miami Dolphins — the team he went on to spend his first five seasons with, and six of his total eight years in the NFL. He earned All-Pro recognition for his efforts with the 'Fins in 1992, when he started all 16 games and ran back a pick-six — one of five interceptions that year — for a league-high 103 yards.

Oliver played alongside some of the greatest Gators to ever set foot in the Swamp and will join Lomas Brown, John L. Williams and Emmitt Smith as the only players from the 1980s to return to campus as a ceremonial Mr. Two Bits. He will be the second to lead the traditional cheer this season after Ciatrick Fason served in the role for Florida's home opener against FAU.

"I'm super-excited to get in front of Gator Nation again," said Oliver. "We're going to need all the motivation and ammunition we can get for this Ole Miss team."

The last time Oliver attended a game at the Swamp was Oct. 29, 1988, for Senior Day against Auburn. The Gators lost that game, 16-0, representing the last time the program was shut out.

Florida holds the longest streak in all of college football without being held scoreless, which currently stands at 477 straight games.

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About Florida football's Mr. Two Bits tradition

The Mr. Two Bits tradition began with George Edmondson, who led the crowd with his "Two Bits" cheer starting in 1950 until he retired from the role in 2009. From then to 2013, mascot Albert the Alligator donned the dress that Edmondson had worn throughout the decades while leading the fans with the same cheer.

This season marks the 14th year of the celebrity Mr. Two Bits tradition, in which a famous alumnus or a notable student earns the designation and is charged with the task of energizing the crowd alongside the Gators mascot.