Ole Miss, short for the University of Mississippi, has undergone a series of changes regarding its official athletic mascot. Historically, the university used to be associated with a mascot known as Colonel Reb, who was depicted as an old Southern plantation owner. However, due to criticisms of its racial connotations and the desire to promote inclusivity, Colonel Reb was removed as the official mascot in 2003. Since then, Ole Miss has been in search of a new mascot that represents the university's values and culture. In 2010, a student-led committee conducted a selection process to find a replacement. This process involved surveys and various rounds of voting by students, alumni, and other stakeholders.

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The changing face of Ole Miss: A look back at the university’s mascots

The new face of the University of Mississippi — the character that will likely emblazon tents, cups, stickers and fan paraphernalia this season — is Tony the Landshark. Revealed on Aug. 18 at a celebration with fans called Meet the Rebels Day, Tony stands as the latest in a long line of Ole Miss mascots, which formally began with “The Flood” in 1929.

Before 1929, support for the team suffered because of its lack of a proper, university-backed name and mascot. Fans and newspapers referred to the team by varying titles, from “the University men” or “the Oxford boys” in 1893, to “the Southerners” and “the Mighty Mississippians” in the 1920s. Some even referred to the team as “the Magnolia Tigers” or “Wampus Cats.”

By 1929, however, the university was ready to settle on a mascot and appointed a selection committee. After sorting through many suggestions from fans and university personnel, the administration settled on “The Flood.”

The university, fans and media used “The Flood” until 1936, when, because of growing dissatisfaction with the name, The Daily Mississippian sponsored a write-in competition for a new moniker. Benjamin A. Guider, a lawyer and judge from Vicksburg, submitted “The Rebels” for approval.

His suggestion won, and the creation of a Confederate figure followed.

Over the next 70 years, the Rebels became a household name among Mississippians.

Curtis Wilkie, an Overby Fellow and Kelly G. Cook Chair of Journalism, noted that when he attended the university from 1958-62, Colonel Reb was not the official mascot.

“We did not have a formal mascot in those days,” Wilkie recalled. “There was one character who dressed as a Confederate soldier and led the football team on the field, but he was not a formal mascot.”

Wilkie said that sometime after he left the university, in the late 1970s, Colonel Reb was created and officially adopted by the university. Over the years, the Confederate imagery associated with that official mascot drew controversy to Ole Miss football.

Decades later, university administration — led by former Chancellor Robert Khayat and athletics director Pete Boone — chose to retire the Colonel Reb mascot in 2003. For the next seven years, the university would persist without an official mascot, though it still used the “Ole Miss Rebels” name.

“The administration decided that Colonel Reb was an inappropriate symbol at Ole Miss — once aligned with Confederacy and slavery — so they moved to abandon him,” Wilkie said.

In 2010, for the third time in history, the university hosted a competition for its next mascot. This time, rather than holding a write-in campaign, the vote was between three predetermined options: the Landshark, the Black Bear and Hotty Toddy.

Rebel the Black Bear won 62 percent of the student vote and became the university’s mascot for the next seven years, though it never quite attained the permanence or popularity of Colonel Reb.

“The Bear was basically rejected,” Wilkie said, recalling the years that Rebel served as the mascot. “Many people thought nothing attached the Bear to Ole Miss.”

In fall 2017, the Associated Student Body, led by then President Dion Kevin III, held a referendum in which the student body chose a mascot among the same three contenders that had been listed in 2010. This time around, students chose the Landshark to represent the university on the football field.

“The Landshark has become synonymous with the Ole Miss spirit in a way Rebel the Black Bear never achieved,” said Micah Ginn, associate athletic director for Sports Production and Creative Services.

Since the vote and the 2017 announcement of the official change by the administration, Ginn’s team has been working to solidify the look and personality of the new mascot.

“We’ve been working with various companies to understand Tony’s personality — what he looks like, what he does, how he keeps the audience (the kids, especially) connected to the game,” Ginn said.

Tony the Landshark was introduced to the Ole Miss community in early August, when it was also revealed that he had been named after the late Tony Fein. Fein served in Iraq for a year as a member of the U.S. Army before playing football for the university in 2008.

Fein introduced the term “Landshark” and its accompanying “fins up” sign to the football team during his 2008 season. Because of Fein’s role in introducing the Landshark to campus, Tony was named in honor of him.

“The 10-year organic growth we’ve seen of the Landshark began with Fein, and (he) is why the new mascot ultimately has staying power,” Ginn said. “It’s an example of how the good attitude and leadership of one man can literally change the face of a university.”

Meet the Ole Miss Rebels’ new mascot, a Landshark named Tony

For the second time this millennium, Ole Miss has changed the identity and species of the plushy character that gyrates on its sidelines. The problematic and retired Colonel Reb begat the Black Bear in 2010, which now makes way for the Landshark. Students voted in 2017 to make a Landshark the school’s new mascot, and now the new critter’s here.

Why “Landshark?”

First of all, it’s unique. Only one other Division I program has used a shark mascot in modern times, and both happen to be the Rebels. UNLV has used a regular water shark in honor of former coach Jerry “Tark the Shark” Tarkanian. But this here is a Landshark.

But for real, why “Landshark?”

Ole Miss defenders took up the hand-on-forehead sharkfin celebration a few years back, as you can see in the pic at the top of this post. Ole Miss explains:

Roots of the “Landshark” at Ole Miss date back to 2008. After four straight losing seasons, the Rebel football team returned to national prominence with a 9-4 record and a victory over 7th-ranked Texas Tech in the Cotton Bowl. Leading the charge was a defensive squad that ranked fourth in the nation in rushing defense and included All-Americans Peria Jerry and Greg Hardy and eventual All-SEC standout Jerrell Powe.

The term “Landshark” originated that season from senior linebacker Tony Fein, an Army veteran who served a one-year tour in the Iraq War before arriving in Oxford. A two-year letterman after transferring from Scottsdale (Ariz.) Community College, Fein was the 2008 recipient of the Pat Tillman Award by the Military Order of the Purple Heart. Fein passed away in October 2009, but his legacy at Ole Miss continues through the “Landshark.”

What’s it look like?

The official unveiling happened on Aug. 11, before the 2018 football season kicked off. We learned that the Landshark will be named Tony and look like this:

We had an original concept idea for the mascot that would have been just as great, tbh:

And there was this Rebel at the 2014 Peach Bowl:

Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Also, there were these two Rebels at Auburn:

Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Wait, why is he named Tony?

He’s named after former Rebel football player Tony Fein, whom the school mentions above.

Will Ole Miss fan Katy Perry be sad to see the Bear replaced by a Shark?

Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images

Ole Miss sure does have a long mascot history, huh.

Sure does! Red Cup Rebellion runs through it in detail here:

Ole Miss' new Landshark mascot is unveiled this weekend.

This is the weird, detailed history of Ole Miss mascots, from @RedCupRebellion pic.twitter.com/roRY9hVqLy

This is fun and good. College sports should be fun.

References the Land Shark, an actual Ole Miss tradition that is good and not bad

Tony is a shark that lives on the land, and not a slavery-loving genocidaire who convinced poor white people to fight and die for rich white people’s right to own poorer, unfree black people. That’s cool that we’re not endorsing that too much now.

It’s profoundly silly and mascots should be profoundly silly. A person who wants a mascot with dignity doesn’t understand mascots. They also probably get really upset when someone hears them pooping in a public restroom. Buddy, this is a public restroom, it’s basically a concert hall for the colon. Let your butt play some Wagner if it has to, friend, at the end of the day we’re all just hiccuping tubes with legs.

(I’m going to laugh if it’s really brutal-sounding, though, so stay mad. Can’t chase me with your pants around your ankles.)

Only loves Ole Miss, eating prey for food, and making tackles. Again, is much better than a Confederate colonel, because a Confederate Colonel loves murder, slavery, and doesn’t even like good tackling via bad defense. Why trust someone to run a solid 4-3 defense when they couldn’t even hold Atlanta? SMH.

Won’t go around challenging people to duels because they got owned online like an idiot Mississippi Colonel would. Do you know how much stationery was used in the correspondence and ceremony around dueling and the culture of honor? All because someone said you looked stupid in some pants, or said something factual about them like “he owes me money” or “he’s a racist who supports slavery?” Dueling was not only insane, it was also super tedious in all the formalities. Only an idiot would want to be part of something that involved both murder, making appointments on time, and paperwork.

Meet Tony the Landshark, Ole Miss’ new mascot

The school’s new mascot is a tribute to Iraq War vet and former Rebel Tony Fein, who passed away in 2009.

This process involved surveys and various rounds of voting by students, alumni, and other stakeholders. Ultimately, in 2010, the committee announced that the new mascot would be the Rebel Black Bear. This decision was made to pay homage to the state's hunting culture and preserve the school's nickname as the "Rebels.

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Maddie Lee-Clarion Ledger

The Ole Miss Rebels have a new mascot, y’all. They’re still the Rebels, mind you, but the fuzzy costume donned by the guy strutting along the sidelines will now be a shark.

More specifically, it’ll be a landshark named Tony. During its annual Meet the Rebels fan event on Saturday, the school officially unveiled its new on-field mascot, which replaces the oft-maligned black bear that’s cheered on the university’s sports teams since 2010.

On the surface, a shark seems an odd choice to represent a school in north Mississippi. Sharks have little historical connection to the state, and while roughly a dozen species are commonly found in the warm waters off the Mississippi Gulf Coast, not a single one has yet evolved the ability to live on land. Landshark Lager beer was inspired by Pascagoula native Jimmy Buffet’s “Fins” song, but that’s 1) bottled in St. Louis. and 2) not exactly something an athletic department would model a kid-friendly mascot costume after.

The landshark—and the name Tony—is actually an ode to Tony Fein, an Iraq War vet and former Rebel linebacker who passed away in 2009 after what was ruled an accidental drug overdose. Fein was a key contributor on an aggressive defense that drove Ole Miss’ turnaround from three-win team in 2007 to nine-win Cotton Bowl champs in 2008. That season, Fein began celebrating big plays by putting a hand to his forehead to mimic a shark fin. It caught on with the rest of the defense and came to represent the unit’s attacking, swarming style of play.

“You had to reach Tony’s competition level on the field in order to throw up the Landshark,” former Ole Miss D-lineman Kentrell Lockett told Magnolia State Live last year. “The reward for making a big play, the light at the end of the tunnel, if you will, was throwing up the Landshark. It turned into more, of, like I said, the ultimate celebration. It was like Miami throwing up the ‘U,’ or Oregon throwing up the ‘O.’”

The fins up gesture was soon adopted by fans and Ole Miss athletes in other sports: from volleyball players to golfers to, perhaps most famously, Marshall Henderson.

Its a fitting tribute and a savvy move by an Ole Miss athletic administration that’s had trouble convincing fans to move on from the Colonel Rebel mascot it took off the field in 2003. After seven years without a mascot, the school held a vote in 2010 and brought in Rebel Black Bear, which immediately became an internet joke both within and without the Ole Miss community. The black bear never really caught on—both because of lingering loyalty to Colonel Reb and the fact that there’s no significant black bear population in Mississippi—so the school announced in mid-2017 that it’d be making another change.

The landshark, though admittedly silly looking, should be a better fit. It’s been an accepted part of the Ole Miss sports culture for a decade and it’s connection to Fein gives it weight among the fan base. Tony the Landshark is a fresh look for a school still transforming its identity.

" The Black Bear was chosen as it is a native species of Mississippi. The Rebel Black Bear became the official athletic mascot of Ole Miss and made its debut in September 2010 during a football game. The change was met with mixed reactions from the Ole Miss community, with some embracing the new mascot while others remained nostalgic for Colonel Reb. In recent years, there have been discussions about potentially selecting a new mascot once again. However, as of now, the Rebel Black Bear remains the official symbol of Ole Miss athletics. The university continues to prioritize representation, diversity, and inclusivity, balancing the preservation of tradition with the desire for progress..

Reviews for "Understanding the emotions behind the Ole Miss mascot change"

1. John - 1 out of 5 stars

As an alumni of Ole Miss, I was extremely disappointed with the choice of the new mascot. The decision to have a Landshark as our mascot feels like a desperate attempt to please everyone. The Landshark lacks the rich history and tradition that the previous mascots had. It also feels forced, as if the university is trying to adopt a fierce and intimidating image that doesn't align with our values. Overall, I believe this change is a disservice to the legacy and spirit of Ole Miss.

2. Sarah - 2 out of 5 stars

I understand that change is necessary, but the shift from Colonel Reb to the Landshark just doesn't sit right with me. The Landshark feels like a generic choice that lacks originality and creativity. It's difficult to detach our identity as Rebels from Colonel Reb, who was a beloved symbol for many years. While I appreciate the university's effort to move towards a more inclusive image, I believe they could have done so without completely erasing our roots. The new mascot just doesn't inspire the same level of pride and connection that Colonel Reb did.

3. Mike - 2.5 out of 5 stars

While I don't necessarily dislike the Landshark as our new mascot, I feel like the university missed an opportunity to involve the community in the decision-making process. Many alumni and fans were invested in the future of our mascot and felt left out of the conversation. The lack of transparency and inclusivity in the decision-making process has left a sour taste in my mouth. Additionally, the Landshark feels like a generic choice that lacks the charm and character our previous mascots had. Overall, I think the university could have handled this transition better.

Ole Miss mascot: A beloved tradition or a dated symbol?