David Steinfeldt, "Mic Man" for the last two football seasons and a graduate student studying international business, will be the 2020 student "Mr. Two Bits" for Saturday's UF-Kentucky gamer.
'Mic Man' Gets Double Duty as Student 'Mr. Two Bits'
Tuesday, November 24, 2020 | Football, Chris Harry
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By: Chris Harry, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — For the last two years, David Steinfeldt's voice has boomed inside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on football game days. His mission? To get fans fired up. His charge is no different for Steinfeldt than it was for the previous conga line of students who had taken a turn as the guy known as "Mic Man."
Talk fast. Talk loud. Talk a lot.
"That about covers it," Steinfeldt said. "Fundamentally, it's not that hard a job. It's pretty much just being able to spell 'Gators' and knowing the colors orange and blue. After that, about 95 percent of the job is not getting nervous and loving the Gators. At first, I had to work on the nervous part, but I got over that."
Maybe so, but now he'll have to get over it again. Come Saturday, when No. 6 Florida (6-1, 6-1) takes on Kentucky (2-4, 2-4) at Spurrier/Florida Field, the "Mr. Mic" job description will change, if only for a moment. It'll be a big moment, though, with Steinfeldt tabbed as the 2020 honorary student "Mr. Two Bits."
Cue those nerves.
"I may not be able to sleep between now and then," he said.
Covid restrictions this season have kept David Steinfeldt, aka "Mic Man," in the northeast bleachers with the band and cheerleaders.
Steinfeldt, already with a degree in business administration and currently working on a master's in international business, is a second-generation Gator. His parents met while attending UF in the late-'80s, eventually settled in Orlando and began passing down the legacy.
As a freshman, Steinfeldt and some friends went to the first football game of the season. Their seats were in the front row, where he got a first look at a previous "Mic Man," donned in his orange and blue logo pants and embroidered oxford shirt. Their group got a picture with him.
"I thought it was the coolest thing," he said.
"I wondered how someone could get that job." "Mic Man" David Steinfeldt in 2019
As it turned out, one of Steinfeldt's buddies got it next and, in time, helped put in motion the process of passing the baton. The tryout went well and Steinfeldt made his debut for the 2019 home opener against Tennessee-Martin.
It wasn't for another month, though, that he got his first real jolt of what it meant to be a part of the game-day festivities.
Anyone who was in the house for the Florida-Auburn game understands how lit the environment was that day. From the iconic tunnel entrance to Lamical Perine's unforgettable 88-yard game-sealing touchdown run, the "Swamp" was electric.
"When the Gators took the field, I seriously almost cried," said Steinfeldt, whose UF allegiance resume also includes a stint as vice president of the Rowdy Reptiles. "I missed the peak of the Tebow years — I was like eight or nine years old — so I had never really seen the 'Swamp' so hyped. It was so cool. I almost blacked out. I couldn't believe how lucky I'd been to get a chance to be a part of it."
Now roll leading the "Two Bits" chant into the mix.
The anticipation, no doubt, will test Steinfeldt's nerves, but like "Mic Man," it's not that hard a job. Especially for someone with so much experience playing to the crowd.
