The Rebel Black Bear will be the Ole Miss mascot
Ole Miss students have finally decided on a replacement mascot for Colonel Reb. Ole Miss students, faculty, and season-ticket holders, voted electronically and selected the Rebel Black Bear to succeed Colonel Reb as the school’s mascot. The selection of Rebel Black Bear ends Mississippi’s eight month highly publicized search for a new school mascot. Along with the Rebel Black Bear, the Rebel Landshark, and Hotty Toddy, were finalists in the vote.
According to school officials, the Black Bear has state significance in connection to a 1902 hunting trip in which President Theodore Roosevelt refused to shoot a Black Bear. Last year, Ole Miss decided to part ways with Colonel Reb, after complaints from several groups deeming the mascot offensive, and too reminiscent of the Old South. In 1997, the school also banned the waving of the confederate flag during sporting events, with the hopes of distancing itself from negative perceptions from people outside of the south.
