Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The sights and sounds of a night game at "The Swamp" still stir the soul of Percy Harvin, one of the most dynamic players to ever suit up for the Gators.

At 31, Harvin is retired from the NFL and enjoying the quiet life with his family. He is back in Gainesville and an occasional visitor to Florida's football offices to say hello to familiar faces such as UF head coach Dan Mullen and receivers coach Billy Gonzales.

Harvin has a different sort of hello planned Saturday night when the No. 8-ranked Gators host rival Florida State at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Harvin, a recent inductee into the Florida Athletics Hall of Fame, will serve as honorary Mr. Two Bits.

That should fire up the home crowd prior to kickoff.

"I'm going to tell you, playing in that 'Swamp,' it's a top-three or four kind of stadium,'' Harvin said. "When it turns to night, I really believe in my heart, having played in different stadiums, even NFL stadiums, at night there ain't too many places that get you the football atmosphere that 'The Swamp' has. 'The Swamp' at night, that was one of my favorite all-time games at any level, all the way to professional."

Harvin often provided the electricity, enjoying some of his most memorable performances under the lights.

A glance at the highlight reel:

• In his only home night game against the Seminoles in 2007, Harvin rushed for 157 yards and a touchdown in Florida's 45-12 romp.
• In 2008 when Steve Spurrier, whose name is now attached to the Gators' home, brought his South Carolina team to "The Swamp," Harvin rushed for a career-high 167 yards and two touchdowns. His 80-yard run on the first play of the second half left Spurrier stunned in silence and shaking his head as the Gators dealt Spurrier his worst loss, 56-6.
• And who can forget the 2008 win over LSU, which entered ranked fourth and winners of 19 consecutive night games. Harvin grabbed a pass from Tim Tebow that was tipped by Tigers safety Danny McCray and raced for a 70-yard touchdown reception on Florida's opening drive. They still talk about how loud "The Swamp" was as Harvin sprinted toward the end zone.

"As I remember, it was something we saw in the coverage of LSU on film. We knew if we could get Percy matched up on their nickel, he could beat him,'' Mullen told the Gainesville Sun recently. "I mean, Percy could beat just about anybody. It was such a big game and such an incredible atmosphere that we wanted to hit it early. The ball was a little underthrown by Timmy and got tipped, but once it got in Percy's hands, look out!"

As many thrills as Harvin provided Gators fans in his three seasons from 2006-08, serving as Mr. Two Bits offers a unique route.

Harvin said he is practicing the routine this week with his wife and family as his audience. They'll have 90,000 guests join them Saturday night.

"I'm definitely honored. It will be intimidating and it will be great to be in front of the fans and just to get the team pumped up,'' Harvin said. "I've kind of been nervous, I know I will be a little intimidated, but I'm looking forward to it."

George Edmondson, the original Mr. Two Bits, passed away in July. Harvin remembers the impact Edmondson had on the crowd during his playing days.

While he prefers to maintain a low profile, Harvin is eager to race back onto the field for a different perspective at a Gators night game. That of a fan.

For one night, he gets to walk in the footsteps of the Gators' most famous fan.

"That's honestly one of the bigger reasons I wanted to do it,'' he said. "I figured there was no bigger fan than Mr. Two Bits, cheering us on, and that's probably the reason I feel honored doing it. Mr. Two Bits, he didn't go to school there, he didn't get paid to do it, he didn't receive anything for it. It was really just a fan cheering for his team.

"I think just to be able to follow someone who did it just for the passion, for the love of the game, I think there is no bigger game to come out there and show my gratitude and to try and get the fan base pumped up than against one of our biggest rivals."

Gators fans, at 7:30 Saturday night, you know the drill.

Stand up and holler.