Rebel Black Bear

Rebel, The Black Bear

University	University of Mississippi
Conference	SEC
Description	Anthropomorphic black bear
First seen	2010
Related mascot(s)	Colonel Reb

Rebel, The Black Bear is the mascot of the Ole Miss Rebels, the collegiate athletic teams of the University of Mississippi. The anthropomorphic black bear replaced Colonel Reb as the official mascot in 2010.

Mascot search

In 2003, Colonel Reb was removed from the sidelines at Ole Miss athletic events as the on-the-field mascot^[1] after facing criticism from some groups that the character was offensive and racially insensitive.^[2] A contest was held in which fans were invited to design a replacement. The athletic department chose two finalists, Rebel Bruiser and Rowdy Rebel,^[3] and invited fans to vote on their favorite. The limited fan response^[3] prompted the administration to cancel the poll. Many still supported Colonel Reb as the school mascot.^[2]

The "Admiral Ackbar" Campaign

In 2010, Ole Miss students voted to choose a new mascot. The election did not allow the option of reinstating Colonel Reb as the official mascot, in spite of sizable popular support.^[4] An internet campaign to adopt the Star Wars character Admiral Ackbar as the Ole Miss mascot gained considerable support.^[5] However, the students that began the campaign insisted Admiral Ackbar was not their ideal choice for the school's mascot. Instead, they intended the character as "the face of a push to start a fresh mascot search at Ole Miss."^[6]

It is unclear if Lucasfilm, owners of the Admiral Ackbar character, would have authorized Ole Miss to use his likeness as their mascot. The studio's only comment on the matter was a tongue-in-cheek statement, saying, "Lucasfilm is flattered that our Star Wars fans at the University of Mississippi are considering electing Admiral Ackbar as their mascot. The last time we checked in with Admiral Ackbar he was leading the Rebel Alliance Fleet on a critical mission so it will be difficult for him to show up for the games!"^[7]

The Selection Process

The student committee that was charged with choosing a new mascot was formed on March 29, 2010. The committee did not set a definitive time to reveal a new on-field mascot, but tentatively scheduled it for the 2010 football season. The committee established a website to promote transparency throughout the process shortly thereafter.^[8]^[9]

The field of suggestions was reduced to eleven candidates: Hotty and Toddy, a black bear, a blues musician, a cardinal, a "fanatic," a horse, a land shark, a lion, the "Mojo," a riverboat pilot, and a titan.^[10]

The committee polled University students, faculty, staff, alumni, and season ticket holders about three finalist mascots: the Black Bear, based on the legend that Theodore "Teddy Bear" Roosevelt refused to shoot a bound black bear in Mississippi;^[8]^[9] the Rebel Land Shark; and Hotty Toddy, derived from the popular Rebel cheer.^[2]^[9] After months of analyzing responses and feedback, including the final poll, the committee ultimately selected the Black Bear, named "Rebel," as the new on-field mascot.^[11]

Bears in Mississippi

The state is home to two types of black bear subspecies: the American black bear and the Louisiana black bear. The American black bear (Ursus americanus) occurs in the more northwestern counties of the state. The Louisiana black bear (Ursus americanus luteolus) is found in the southern half of the state. The two subspecies of bears are basically indistinguishable to the naked eye.^[12]

Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks biologists currently estimate that 40 to 50 black bears inhabit the state of Mississippi today, but the agency reports that bear sightings have steadily been on the rise, the majority of which have come from counties bordering the Mississippi River and from coastal counties such as Jackson, Harrison, and Stone.^[12]

References

↑ Dawn Russell (18 June 2003). "Colonel Rebel Gets the Boot". WLBT. Retrieved 30 October 2010.
1 2 3 Robbie Brown (19 September 2010). "Ole Miss Shelves Mascot Fraught With Baggage". New York Times. Retrieved 30 October 2010.
1 2 "Ole Miss is Without a Mascot". WLBT. 10 October 2003. Retrieved 30 October 2010.
↑ "Ole Miss students vote for new mascot". Fox Sports. 23 February 2010. Retrieved 30 October 2010.
↑ Larry Hartstein and Ty Tagami (1 March 2010). "Admiral Ackbar for Ole Miss mascot spurs backlash". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved 30 October 2010.
↑ Jeff Greer (25 February 2010). "Star Wars Figure Gains Steam as Ole Miss Mascot". US News and World Report. Retrieved 30 October 2010.
↑ Itzkoff, Dave (February 26, 2010). "College Campaign for 'Star Wars' Mascot Is Fully Operational". ArtsBeat. The New York Times. Retrieved 2012-10-27.
1 2 "Homepage". Ole Miss Mascot Selection Committee. 14 October 2010. Retrieved 30 October 2010.
1 2 3 Matt Shelley (30 October 2010). "It's not a trap, just a new mascot". The Randolf Letter. Retrieved 30 October 2010.
↑ "Ole Miss Rebel Mascot Concepts" (Press release). Ole Miss Mascot Selection Committee. Retrieved 31 October 2010.
↑ "Home" (Press release). Ole Miss Mascot Selection Committee. October 14, 2010. Retrieved October 14, 2010.
1 2 Young, Brad. "Black Bears in Mississippi: Past and Present". Mississippi Wildlife, Fisheries, & Parks. Retrieved April 23, 2016.

The University of Mississippi

Academics

People	Jeffrey Vitter (chancellor) University of Mississippi Academics

Divisions	Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College University of Mississippi School of Law University of Mississippi School of Engineering University of Mississippi School of Business Administration Croft Institute for International Studies National Center for Remote Sensing, Air and Space Law Center for the Study of Southern Culture

Athletics

Teams	Ole Miss Rebels Football Basketball Baseball Tennis The Pride of the South (marching band)

Football rivalries	Egg Bowl (Mississippi State) Magnolia Bowl (LSU) Arkansas Alabama

Facilities	Vaught–Hemingway Stadium The Pavilion at Ole Miss Tad Smith Coliseum Swayze Field Ole Miss Soccer Stadium Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center Ole Miss Track & Field Complex Ole Miss Softball Complex Gillom Sports Center University Golf Course

Campus

Main	University, Mississippi Lyceum-The Circle Historic District Martindale Student Services Center University of Mississippi Museum Rowan Oak Barnard Observatory Kennon Observatory The Grove

Other	University of Mississippi Field Station University of Mississippi Medical Center University of Mississippi School of Medicine

Student life

Traditions

Outreach

Mississippi Teacher Corps

Links to related articles

Ole Miss Rebels football

Venues	Vaught–Hemingway Stadium (1915–present) Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium (alternate, 1941–96)

Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Alabama Arkansas LSU: Magnolia Bowl Memphis Mississippi State: Egg Bowl (Golden Egg) Tulane Vanderbilt

Culture & lore	Colonel Reb Rebel Black Bear "Forward Rebels" The Pride of the South The Grove

People	Head coaches NFL draftees Statistical leaders

Seasons	1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

National championship seasons in bold

Ole Miss Rebels men's basketball

Venues	Old Gym (1929–1966) Tad Smith Coliseum (1966–2015) The Pavilion at Ole Miss (2016–present)

Culture & lore	Colonel Reb Rebel Black Bear "Forward Rebels" Ole Miss Pep Band "The Shot"

People	Head coaches

Seasons	1908–09 1909–10 1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17

Mascots of the Southeastern Conference

Eastern Division	Albert and Alberta (Florida) Hairy Dawg and Uga (Georgia) The Wildcat, Scratch, and Blue (Kentucky) Truman the Tiger (Missouri) Cocky and Sir Big Spur (South Carolina) Smokey (Tennessee) Mr. C (Vanderbilt)

Western Division	Big Al (Alabama) Big Red, Sue E. Pig, Pork Chop, Boss Hog, and Tusk (Arkansas) Aubie and War Eagle (Auburn) Mike the Tiger (LSU) Bully (Mississippi State) Rebel Black Bear (Ole Miss) Reveille (Texas A&M)

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