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 official sporting 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] due to its racial connotations as a Confederate soldier or antebellum Southern plantation owner.^[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]

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 of Ole Miss, in spite of sizable popular support.^[4] An internet campaign to replace Colonel Reb with the Star Wars character Admiral Ackbar 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 student-led committee that led the process of choosing a new mascot was formed Monday, 29 March 2010. The committee did not set a definitive time to reveal the new on-field mascot, but tentatively scheduled it for the 2010 football season. The committee established a website to ensure transparency throughout the process.^[8]^[9]

The field of suggestions was reduced to 11 candidates: Hotty and Toddy, a black bear, a blues musician, a cardinal, a "fan-atic," a horse, a land shark, a lion, the Mojo, a riverboat pilot, and a titan.^[10] The committee polled Ole Miss students, faculty, staff, alumni, and season ticket holders about three finalist mascots: Rebel, 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, from a popular cheer.^[2]^[9] Based on its support throughout the process, including the final poll, the committee selected Rebel, The Black Bear as the new on-field mascot.^[11]

The university reclassified the Colonel Reb trademark as historical and still retains ownership of the trademark.^[12]

Bears in Mississippi

The state is home for 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 northern counties of the state, which is the location of the university. 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. The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks estimates that the bear population in Mississippi has doubled in the past 10 years.

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.
↑ "Colonel Reb Merchandise Phaseout Plan" (Press release). University of Mississippi. 11 March 2010. Retrieved 30 October 2010.

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 (MSU) Magnolia Bowl (LSU) Arkansas–Ole Miss rivalry Alabama–Ole Miss rivalry

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

Ole Miss Rebels football

Venues	Vaught–Hemingway Stadium (1915–present) Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium (alternate, 1941–1996)

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–)

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

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)

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Wednesday, October 07, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.