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History was made Thursday night when 7-foot-9-inch Olivier Rioux, the world’s tallest teenager, became the tallest person ever to play college football. basketballare making their debut for Florida Gators.
The 19-year-old redshirt freshman entered the game with two minutes remaining, prompting a passionate chant from the home crowd demanding his presence.
The O’Connell Center erupted in chants of “We Want Ollie” during Florida’s dominant 104-64 win over North Florida.
Despite initial hesitation, coach Todd Golden eventually relented and sent Rioux onto the field. Golden later admitted, “People were yelling at me during halftime about feeding him. I said, ‘Listen, it’s going to happen. The time will come.'”
Despite the intense attention, which featured North Florida players, including Trey Cady, smiling while measuring themselves against him, Rioux remained on the field.
“It felt great,” he shared. “Everyone’s support was amazing, even on the bench and the fans. I think everyone supported me. I’m very grateful.” When pressed on the historical significance of his debut, Rioux quipped, “It’s another day, I guess.”
Rioux’s towering stature makes him 5 centimeters taller than NBA greats Gheorghe Muresan and Manute Bol and 7.5 centimeters taller than popular big men Yao Ming, Tacko Fall and Shawn Bradley. Even before signing with Florida in 2024, he had already secured a place in the Guinness World Records.
The Canadian teen’s journey included a strategic redshirt season, which Rioux chose to focus on developing his game rather than playing less. He became a familiar, viral presence on campus.
Coach Golden praised his dedication, saying, “He’s done a lot of great things. To his credit, he’s maintained a great attitude without getting a lot of rewards in terms of playing time and opportunity.”
Golden had previously indicated that Rioux would only be involved in important blowouts, a decision influenced by the strong returning frontcourt.
Rioux’s commitment to Florida and his willingness to challenge himself against teammates in practice solidified his spot.
Golden explained his decision: “I spoke to the guys at halftime when we were 24 and I told them about the importance of starting off really well so that we can give some of the young guys and some of the guys down on the bench a chance to play and have some good performances.
“Obviously the game was under our control and we thought it would be a good opportunity to get him out there and get his first college experience, and I think he was very excited. It was great for him to finally see the floor.”
The moment Golden signaled Rioux to enter the game received the loudest ovation of the night, surpassing the unveiling of Florida’s championship banner.
Rioux quickly took off his long-sleeved T-shirt and walked towards the scorer’s table. Despite the excitement, he did not touch the ball during his 2 minutes and 9 seconds on the court, details of which will have to wait for his next appearance.
His teammates and coaches celebrated enthusiastically, with fans screaming whenever the ball came his way.
Teammate Micah Handlogten offered words of encouragement: “When he was checking out the game, I stopped him and I said, ‘Play with confidence. You’ve worked hard for two years to get to this spot. Now is your moment. This is your time to shine. It was really cool to see him running up and down the court with a little smile on his face.'”
His historic debut promises more excitement as Rioux continues his journey with the Gators.