Jenn Brown, Titus O'Neil to Host Gators Madness
Wednesday, September 16, 2015 | Women's Basketball
By Chris Harry
GatorZone.com Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- UF alums Jenn Brown and Titus O'Neil will co-host Gators Madness, the five-alarm pep rally set for Friday, October 2 at 9 p.m. at the O'Connell Center, where the unofficial tip-off of the Mike White era and 2015-16 men's and women's basketball season begins.
Brown, a former Gators softball player and studio host for the NFL Network, and O'Neil, the WWE star who played defensive tackle for Steve Spurrier, will emcee the event that will include remarks from both White and women's coach Amanda Butler, introductions to their teams, plus appearances from the Dazzlers, cheerleaders, UF band, Albert and Alberta, and 3-point shooting and slam-dunk contests.
“The University of Florida is very special to me and many others in the Gator Nation,” said O'Neil, known in his UF football days as Thaddeus Bullard. “I'm proud to be joining Jenn Brown in hosting Gator Madness and I promise everyone that we will have an awesome night.”
And there will be some cameo appearances from other Gators dignitaries.
The list:
* Jason Williams, who was Billy Donovan's first great point guard, the No. 7 overall pick in the 1997 NBA draft, a 12-year NBA veteran and 2006 world champion with the Miami Heat. He will lend his ball-handling flair to the shooting and dunking competitions.
* Lee Humphrey, the starting shooting guard for Florida's back-to-back national championship te
ams of 2006 and '07. One of the greatest 3-point shooters in Southeastern Conference history, Humphrey made 113 shots from long distance in each of the Gators' two NCAA title seasons.
* Vanessa Hayden, standout for the Florida women's team for four seasons, a first-team All-SEC center and league defensive player of the year in 2004. Hayden (pictured right) was a first-round WNBA draft pick and played in the league for six seasons.
* You may never heard of Scotty B, but you've probably heard him. Scott A. Bragg, of FireUp! Entertainment, was a fixture at Orlando Magic games for 13 years and has taken his brand of high-energy to multiple NBA venues, plus the league All-Star Game. He'll be seated in the middle of the UF student section to get the joint jumping an hour beforehand.
* The three-time defending national champion Florida gymnastics team, with new coach Jenny Rowland, will sign autographs for fans from 8-8:45.
Admission to Gators Madness is free and figures to serve as quite the warm-up act on the eve of Florida's home football date against Ole Miss.
The Florida women debut at Temple on November 13, the same night the men and Coach White debut at Navy.
