Grant Holloway Gets Smile Back for "Mr. Two Bits"
Tuesday, September 17, 2019 | Football
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Before Grant Holloway gets on a plane bound for Doha, Qatar this Sunday, he has some training to take care of.
Holloway is heading to the IAAF World Championships with this year's fastest time in the 110-meter hurdles. The 10 barriers standing in the way of a gold medal do not concern him, though. Holloway's worried about flawlessly executing his honorary "Mr. Two Bits" routine in front of a packed Spurrier/Florida Field crowd Saturday afternoon before the Gators (3-0, 1-0) face rival Tennessee (1-2, 0-0).
"I'm still trying to figure out exactly where to point, what to look at," Holloway said. "It'll be fun when I step onto the field. I'm excited. I'm honored to be part of it, and it'll be good to leave off one of those highs."
This past season, Holloway cemented his legacy as one of the greatest NCAA track and field athletes of all time.
At February's Southeastern Conference Indoor Championships, Holloway scored a meet-record 28 individual points, won two titles and led Florida to a team championship.
In March, at the NCAA Indoor Championships, Holloway broke a 32-year-old American record to win his third consecutive national title in the 60 hurdles. He also won the 60 meters, took third in the long jump, and ran for Florida's third-place 4x400 relay team, totaling 27.5 points (half a point shy of the meet record) as the Gators won their second consecutive team national title.
Holloway saved his most iconic performance for what turned out to be his final meet in a Gators uniform.
Kentucky's Daniel Roberts won the 110 hurdles at the SEC Outdoor Championships, dealing Holloway a loss in his premier event for the first time since 2017. Seen as a preseason lock to three-peat as national champion, Holloway suddenly went into June's NCAA Outdoor Championships as an underdog.
It is a role he is unlikely to play again anytime soon.
After opening championship day by running the third leg for Florida's collegiate record-breaking 4x100 relay, Holloway defended his 110 hurdles title. And he broke Renaldo Nehemiah's 40-year-old collegiate record with what is still this year's world-leading time (12.98 seconds).
How impressive were all those things in the context of a single season? SEC athletic directors voted Holloway the 2018-19 Roy F. Kramer SEC Male Athlete of the Year, putting his name in a category headlined by legends like Tim Tebow, Danny Wuerffel, Bo Jackson, Shaquille O'Neal and Herschel Walker.
Holloway turned professional shortly after NCAA Outdoors, forgoing his final year of eligibility. He went to two professional meets in Europe this summer, his first-ever overseas experience, and earned his World Championships berth with a runner-up finish (to Roberts) at the USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships. Even though he still trains in Gainesville under Gators head coach Mike Holloway, not being part of a team anymore has been difficult to grapple with.
"I'm not doing this for a group of brothers anymore. I'm doing it for me," Holloway said. "I'm always going to miss the team aspect."
Holloway believed donning George Edmonson's signature yellow dress shirt and orange and blue tie would be like wearing a Gators uniform again. A final hurrah. One last thank you to Gator Nation and his teammates. The perfect farewell, and a much-needed motivational spark leading into World Championships.
He spotted athletic director Scott Stricklin walking across campus last week and, to quote a popular phrase, shot his shot.
Holloway shouted, "Mr. Stricklin! Can I be Mr. Two Bits?"
Stricklin said they would eventually figure something out. Holloway's coach told him the same thing before what he thought was a film session. A couple minutes later, Coach Holloway formally extended him the invitation to be the latest honorary "Mr. Two Bits".
Holloway's radiant smile came rushing back. Gator Nation will see it on full display before kickoff Saturday. And with Holloway feeling like his old self again, the rest of the world will likely see it as he stands on the medal podium in Doha.
How's that for a sendoff?
"It's not like having a bad practice, and it's just lingering in the back of my mind the whole 14-hour flight," Holloway said. "I get to think, 'Wow. I really did Mr. Two Bits.' I get to have that smile on."
Holloway is heading to the IAAF World Championships with this year's fastest time in the 110-meter hurdles. The 10 barriers standing in the way of a gold medal do not concern him, though. Holloway's worried about flawlessly executing his honorary "Mr. Two Bits" routine in front of a packed Spurrier/Florida Field crowd Saturday afternoon before the Gators (3-0, 1-0) face rival Tennessee (1-2, 0-0).
"I'm still trying to figure out exactly where to point, what to look at," Holloway said. "It'll be fun when I step onto the field. I'm excited. I'm honored to be part of it, and it'll be good to leave off one of those highs."
We were there when @GatorsTF head coach @HeadGatorTRK told @Flaamingoo_ he'd be the next #MrTwoBits... #GoGators pic.twitter.com/KLKwJLvxxF
— Florida Gators (@FloridaGators) September 17, 2019
This past season, Holloway cemented his legacy as one of the greatest NCAA track and field athletes of all time.
At February's Southeastern Conference Indoor Championships, Holloway scored a meet-record 28 individual points, won two titles and led Florida to a team championship.
In March, at the NCAA Indoor Championships, Holloway broke a 32-year-old American record to win his third consecutive national title in the 60 hurdles. He also won the 60 meters, took third in the long jump, and ran for Florida's third-place 4x400 relay team, totaling 27.5 points (half a point shy of the meet record) as the Gators won their second consecutive team national title.
L E G E N D A R Y
— Gators Track and Field & Cross Country (@GatorsTF) March 15, 2019
Relive one of the greatest performances in @NCAATrackField history, as @Flaamingoo_ scores 27.5 points and completes the straightaway sweep.
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 #FBF pic.twitter.com/xeWddudLYJ
Holloway saved his most iconic performance for what turned out to be his final meet in a Gators uniform.
Kentucky's Daniel Roberts won the 110 hurdles at the SEC Outdoor Championships, dealing Holloway a loss in his premier event for the first time since 2017. Seen as a preseason lock to three-peat as national champion, Holloway suddenly went into June's NCAA Outdoor Championships as an underdog.
It is a role he is unlikely to play again anytime soon.
After opening championship day by running the third leg for Florida's collegiate record-breaking 4x100 relay, Holloway defended his 110 hurdles title. And he broke Renaldo Nehemiah's 40-year-old collegiate record with what is still this year's world-leading time (12.98 seconds).
*tips cap to @RenaldoNehemiah*
— Gators Track and Field & Cross Country (@GatorsTF) June 8, 2019
1⃣2⃣.9⃣8⃣ 🗣️🗣️ @Flaamingoo_#GoGators 🐊 #LessSaid 🐊 #TheHolloWAYpic.twitter.com/fzv0vqZHM3
How impressive were all those things in the context of a single season? SEC athletic directors voted Holloway the 2018-19 Roy F. Kramer SEC Male Athlete of the Year, putting his name in a category headlined by legends like Tim Tebow, Danny Wuerffel, Bo Jackson, Shaquille O'Neal and Herschel Walker.
Holloway turned professional shortly after NCAA Outdoors, forgoing his final year of eligibility. He went to two professional meets in Europe this summer, his first-ever overseas experience, and earned his World Championships berth with a runner-up finish (to Roberts) at the USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships. Even though he still trains in Gainesville under Gators head coach Mike Holloway, not being part of a team anymore has been difficult to grapple with.
"I'm not doing this for a group of brothers anymore. I'm doing it for me," Holloway said. "I'm always going to miss the team aspect."
Holloway believed donning George Edmonson's signature yellow dress shirt and orange and blue tie would be like wearing a Gators uniform again. A final hurrah. One last thank you to Gator Nation and his teammates. The perfect farewell, and a much-needed motivational spark leading into World Championships.
He spotted athletic director Scott Stricklin walking across campus last week and, to quote a popular phrase, shot his shot.
Holloway shouted, "Mr. Stricklin! Can I be Mr. Two Bits?"
Stricklin said they would eventually figure something out. Holloway's coach told him the same thing before what he thought was a film session. A couple minutes later, Coach Holloway formally extended him the invitation to be the latest honorary "Mr. Two Bits".
Holloway's radiant smile came rushing back. Gator Nation will see it on full display before kickoff Saturday. And with Holloway feeling like his old self again, the rest of the world will likely see it as he stands on the medal podium in Doha.
How's that for a sendoff?
"It's not like having a bad practice, and it's just lingering in the back of my mind the whole 14-hour flight," Holloway said. "I get to think, 'Wow. I really did Mr. Two Bits.' I get to have that smile on."
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