The University of Mississippi, also known as Ole Miss, has a unique and vibrant tradition with its shark mascot. The shark, named Tony, represents the university's athletic teams and is a beloved symbol of school spirit. Tony the shark was chosen as the university's mascot in 2009. The decision to have a shark as the mascot was made to create a strong and intimidating image that would inspire the athletes and fans. The shark is often associated with power, fearlessness, and determination, making it a fitting symbol for a competitive sports program. Tony's appearance is a sight to behold.

Dear Ole Miss, your Landshark mascot is frightening

I'll admit it. Since leaving God's Country in Oxford, Mississippi, for travels elsewhere in the South, I've often found myself outnumbered, typically behind enemy lines. For every passerby wrapped in Bama's crimson or Auburn's navy - for every car that passed with a Florida State decal, or a University of Tennessee flag - occasionally, in what feels like a sign from God that things will be okay, someone will stroll through my line of sight adorned in the many telltale signs of an Ole Miss fan.

Whether it be our bright red, or the trendy, retro robin's egg blue, logos on cars, hats, or t-shirts, I offer a gleeful "Hotty Toddy!" into the air, and follow it with a salute of a fully exposed, closed palm, hanging from the tip of my forehead, to drive home the point, "You, sir or madam, are not alone. It is I, an authentic alumnus of the great University of Mississippi, here, alongside you, in the territory of our adversaries."

The gesture, best known as "The Landshark" is a relatively new, albeit beloved, entry into Ole Miss lore. It is, for what it's worth, an incredible celebration and physical symbol of pride for a college athletics fanbase, rivaling other charade-like spirit signs like the Florida Gator Chomp.

But, this . this is too much.

Ahead of the upcoming college football season, Ole Miss has unveiled Landshark Tony, a very scary anthropomorphic sea creature and the latest installment in what has been a wretched game of mascot musical chairs in the modern era of the university's athletics program.

For four years of life on-campus, I overheard drunk fans of other SEC programs quip, "To hell with those Rebel Black Bear Shark whatevers!" Though that is an awfully ineffective approach to trash talk, it is hard to ignore that we are a fanbase entangled in an identity crisis. Landshark Tony is evidence that matters are getting worse. No end is in sight.

I won't address Colonel Reb, as I customarily never would in mixed company. And that discussion has no space in the sweet, Southern oasis that is "It's A Southern Thing." We like happy thoughts.

And I'm apathetic to the Black Bear whose name was Rebel. He was goofy, dinky, and generic, but he was harmless enough, and he looked pretty good in his Grove attire.

Heck, I don't even mind the stretch from 2003 to 2010 in which Ole Miss had no mascot at all. An athletic program can be just fine without a sideline puppet - although Ole Miss' win-loss totals in football during that time would lead you to believe that not to be true.

Landshark Tony, however, has elicited a vehement response from within me. This has gone far enough.

Most mascots are named after vicious animals, to invoke the tenacity of wild and untamed predators. We all know kids love mascots, though. So, you make your mascots look inviting enough that they can approach little ones, hug them and offer them high fives for impromptu pictures.

For that reason I ask, whose idea was it to present the spirit of Ole Miss as a huge, enraged version of Jaws with freaky, grey muscles in a jersey? His eyes are black. His teeth are sharp. He's wearing Nike receivers' gloves. This thing gives me nightmares, and I'm an adult.

The history of "The Landshark" and the Ole Miss player who created the identity around our defense is admirable. The celebration, and the life it has taken on for football generations to come, as well as off-the-field, onto the basketball court, and even into the classroom is inspiring and emblematic of a university community that isn't afraid to rethink what its future can be, despite its history.

But, the SEC and the rest of the sports world is laughing at us right now. We've got enough on our plate, as we try to salvage a season mired by past scandals, infractions and penalties.

Landshark Tony is simply unsightly.

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In defense of eating cornbread dressing year-round

The holiday season is over, and with it goes what might be the greatest Southern food of them all -- cornbread dressing.

Every year at Thanksgiving get-togethers, and at Christmas dinner too for the lucky ones, Southerners serve up the biggest pan of cornbread dressing they can make, everyone fixes themselves a giant heaping helping because we love it so much and ultimately it all gets gone in a matter of days (or hours, in some cases).

Then, we're all stuck waiting until next Thanksgiving before we can have it again because. why, exactly? Well, not this year. This year, I'm making the argument for why cornbread dressing is way too good of a dish to only have at Thanksgiving.

Now, I want to kick things off by saying that I know cornbread dressing isn't the easiest thing in the world to make. I know this because my mom reminds me of it every time I ask her to make it for an occasion that isn't Thanksgiving (like my birthday or the Fourth of July or every other Tuesday).

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For starters: you have to make a-whole-lot of cornbread, and that's just to tick off the first box on your ingredients list. But still, I can't help but think of all the other Southern foods that have been known to require a lot of time and effort yet still manage to make it on our plates more than once a year -- buttermilk biscuits, chicken and dumplings, etc. Why can't we add dressing to that list?

I've also heard some folks who would also say that cornbread dressing is only as good as it is because it's only served on Thanksgiving. The lack of availability is what makes it so special and puts it on a proverbial pedestal in our mind. It's as if spending a whole year daydreaming about it somehow adds to the flavor, and if you started offering it on a regular basis, it'd just be another side dish on a long table of side dishes.

That could very well be true, so let's put that theory to the test. Let's add cornbread dressing to the regular line-up you'll find at most Sunday dinners and family get-togethers. I promise, the minute I get tired of eating it, I'll be sure to let you know. (I have a theory of my own that you're going to be waiting a while though.)

Honestly though, the way I see it, anytime I have cornbread dressing on my plate, it's basically Thanksgiving for me. And here's why:

On a cold January night, there's no food (not even chili, y'all) that sounds more delicious and comforting to me than a warm bowl of cornbread dressing -- and the best part? Since it's not a holiday where everybody's gathered for dinner, I can have guilt-free seconds (and thirds, for that matter). A whole pan of cornbread dressing all to myself? Now that is something to be a thankful for.

So can we all just agree to normalize having cornbread dressing even when there's no turkey involved? Sure, people might go, "is that cornbread dressing?" when they see it in the table spread at Easter lunch or next week's potluck, but you can bet they're going to be spooning a big ole' scoop onto their plate while they're saying it.

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One of the country's coolest museums is in Mississippi

The Pocket Museum in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, is a must-visit.

Tucked away in an alley bordering the historic Saenger Theater in downtown Hattiesburg, Mississippi, is a tiny — pocket-size, you could say — museum that's making a big impact, drawing visitors and interest from all over the country, thanks to its unique and immersive exhibits.

The Hattiesburg Pocket Museum got its start in August of 2020 when the city's Convention Commission decided to create something "delightfully unexpected" in an otherwise unused alley that would serve as a way for people to get outside and venture downtown safely.

"We operate a number of indoor facilities, like the theater, that were closed during the pandemic, so we started looking at what we could do to use this time productively over the summer of 2020," said Rick Taylor, executive director of the Hattiesburg Convention Commission. "We wanted to take the alley and make it something of interest instead of just a dark, dingy place that people avoid."

Working with an $800 budget set for the project, a boarded-up window in the rear storeroom of the theater was converted into a cabinet displayed behind security glass, a single speaker was installed, and a small sign was hung. With that, the Hattiesburg Pocket Museum, unbeknownst to most, was born.

"We made it a point that we weren't going to tell anybody that we had done it,” said Taylor. “We put up the sign that you could barely see from the street, and we put some picnic tables out, and then we just kind of waited. We wanted it to be something that people just discover and then they could tell others. We thought 'Let's just try to create something and see if it gets a life.'"

Isn't this lovely?Provided by Rick Taylor of Hattiesburg Convention Commission

The Pocket Museum's first exhibit? A collection of unique pocketknives, of course, provided by Taylor. After that, the museum showcased more than 100 rubber ducks, displayed alongside a diorama Ernie, of "Sesame Street,” sitting in a bathtub as the “Rubber Duck Song” played. Some of its past displays include fairy houses inside gourds made by a local artist, a collection of McDonald's Happy Meal boxes through the years, nesting dolls, vintage Smurfs, LEGO creations, I SPY scenes and more.

In addition, several other museums have loaned collections to be showcased, including remembrances of love lost from The Museum of Broken Relationships in Croatia, artifacts touching on Hattiesburg’s own history as an atomic testing site from The Atomic Museum in Las Vegas and literal dinosaur poop from the Poozeum.

The exhibits showcased at the museum change each month, which Taylor admitted can be challenging, but it’s also what makes the Pocket Museum continue to draw onlookers eager to see what will be on display next, and – given all the obscure and some would say bizarre exhibits it has already featured – that truly could be anything.

An exhibit at the Pocket Museum.Provided by Rick Taylor of Hattiesburg Convention Commission

"Part of the fun for us was that, since it was done during the pandemic, it was a lot of novelty and not a lot of expectation," said Taylor. "That left us without many rules, so we decided we were going to just make it as weird as possible," said Taylor. “This is sort of a chance for our entire staff to do things creative and whimsical; we can push boundaries. I think that's what a lot of people like about it. It only lasts a month, so worst-case scenario, if someone doesn't like it, they can just not visit for a month.”

More than 200,000 people are estimated to have visited the alley since the museum’s inception, and as its popularity continues to grow so does the alley’s appeal as the Hattiesburg Convention Commission continues to add new, pocket-size attractions to the alley.

That includes the Pocket Theater, which consists of a modified view master that displays videos tied to that month's exhibit, as well as The Pocket Art Gallery, which was made from an old newspaper stand and serves as a place where visitors can both take and leave a tiny piece of art. There’s also one-of-a-kind artwork and ever-changing miniature model dioramas placed among the utility boxes, electric meters and otherwise ordinary sights you might expect to find in an alley.

Taylor said that while originally, they thought the museum would end when the pandemic did, it has become such a beloved part of downtown Hattiesburg that they plan to continue it as long as people continue to visit – and if its current following is any indication, that’ll be for a long, long time.

"We sort of feel like we have a tiger by the tail now,” said Taylor. “We weren't sure we were going to keep it going. We don't derive income from it, but everyone loves it so much now we can't quit. It's just sort of taken this life of its own.”

Another exhibit at the Pocket Museum.Provided by Rick Taylor of Hattiesburg Convention Commission

Ole miss shark mascot

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Tony's appearance is a sight to behold. He is a large and imposing figure, standing at over six feet tall. He wears the university's colors of red and blue and is always accompanied by a cheerleader who helps bring energy to the crowd during games and events.

What is a Landshark?

Published 11:58 am Friday, October 6, 2017

Ole Miss is adopting Landshark as its official mascot, retiring Rebel the Bear.

That’s prompting many people to ask: What is a landshark?

Ole Miss (the University of Mississippi), will continue to be the “Rebels.” The Landshark will be its mascot – think Alabama Crimson Tide has an elephant as a mascot; Auburn Tigers have an Eagle.

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Still, people know what an elephant is and what an eagle is. But what’s a landshark? At Ole Miss, it began as gesture on the field during a game in 2008. It was a “fins up” gesture made by a Rebel player. See here an explanation by the Ole Miss Athletics Department: “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.’” The university’s athletics department said the term originally came about as a means to support the football team’s defensive unit. Now, fans do the same move, putting fins up. The result is that Ole Miss will get a Landshark as a mascot. “At Ole Miss, ‘Landshark’ is a term adopted by the Rebel football team’s defensive unit. As part of that identity, defensive players will celebrate big plays by putting a hand to their forehead in the shape of a shark fin. A battle cry of “fins up” also contributes to the players’ persona. With the popularity of both the players and the “Landshark” celebration, Ole Miss fans and student-athletes from other sports have also performed the hand gesture as a tribute to the Rebels on the football team.”

Ole Miss owns trademarks to “Landshark” and “Fins Up.” The famous singer Jimmy Buffett has to this moment given the Landshark its highest notoriety. Buffett sang about “fins to the left, fins to the right” in a popular song. He owns multiple Landshark trademarks relating to bars and beverages. The Landshark was also a popular character on Saturday Night Live beginning in 1975, appearing after the blockbuster movie “Jaws.” The Landshark appeared in multiple episodes during SNL’s first season. There’s one other school, small Landmark College, that uses the Landshark as a mascot. Landmark does not have a football program.

Landshark Ole Miss Fins Up Mascot Bobblehead

Most people only take one week out of the year to celebrate sharks. Ole Miss fans know better than that. Check out this Landshark Ole Miss Rebels Bobble to add some awesome to every shark day, week, or year.

• Portrays Tony the Landshark flexing and giving the “Fins Up” pose, because he's always ready for gameday
• Bobbles at the waist
• Three shark fins raised from water textured border at top of base, because three fins are better than one
• “FINS UP” front display so everyone knows who you're rooting for
• Grass textured top of base
• Stone textured base
• Handcrafted
• Hand painted

Measurements

• Height: Approximately 8 in.

• Not a toy
• Officially licensed
• Imported

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During home games, Tony can be seen roaming the sidelines, interacting with fans, and pumping up the crowd. His presence is met with excitement and enthusiasm from both students and alumni alike. He is also involved in various outreach and community service events, further solidifying his role as a symbol of Ole Miss pride. The shark mascot has become an important part of the university's identity and culture. Tony's presence at sporting events and campus activities helps unite the community and create a sense of camaraderie among students. He serves as a reminder of the university's commitment to excellence and its dedication to fostering a spirited and inclusive environment. In conclusion, the Ole Miss shark mascot has become an iconic symbol of school spirit and pride. Tony the shark's imposing presence and energetic demeanor have made him a beloved figure among students, alumni, and fans alike. He embodies the competitive spirit and determination of the university's athletes and serves as a source of inspiration and unity for the Ole Miss community..

Reviews for "Ole Miss Shark Mascot: Breaking Barriers in the World of College Mascots"

1. Sally - 1 star - I recently attended an Ole Miss game and was thoroughly disappointed by their new shark mascot. It looked more like a cartoon character than a fierce, intimidating representation of the team. The design lacks originality and creativity and does not convey the spirit and history of the university. I believe that a mascot should generate excitement and boost team spirit, but this shark falls short in achieving that. Overall, I was not impressed with Ole Miss's choice for their mascot.

2. Mike - 2 stars - As a fan of Ole Miss, I was excited to see the unveiling of their new mascot. However, I was left feeling underwhelmed by the shark design. While the intention may have been to create a unique and memorable mascot, it ended up looking more like a poorly executed concept. The proportions are off, and the shark lacks the fierce and athletic appearance that I believe a college mascot should embody. I hope that Ole Miss reconsiders their choice and opts for a more fitting and visually appealing mascot in the future.

3. Emily - 1.5 stars - The new Ole Miss shark mascot is a total disaster. It's evident that little thought went into its design and execution. The costume itself looks cheap, with awkward proportions and ill-fitting parts. The shark's face is far from intimidating and more closely resembles a friendly cartoon character. It completely fails to capture the energy and enthusiasm that a mascot should bring to a sports event. Ole Miss needs to go back to the drawing board and find a better mascot that represents the spirit and pride of their university.

Ole Miss Shark Mascot Roams Campus: Bringing Excitement to Everyday Life