OXFORD, Miss. — No more colonels. No more bears. The University of Mississippi’s official mascot is now a Landshark.
Ole Miss Chancellor Jeffrey Vitter announced the change Friday, citing a poll that favored Landsharks as the new mascot and unanimous support from on-campus organizations.
He stressed that the team nickname, however, would remain the Rebels.
Just what a Landshark looks like has not yet been decided. The Athletics department will be charged with designing, developing and launching the Landshark mascot, with an anticipated unveiling before the 2018 season, Vitter said.
The Landshark mascot and “Fins up” slogan developed organically throughout Ole Miss athletes and fans over the past seven years. Every team now embraces it, Vitter said.
Ole Miss retired the controversial Colonel Reb mascot in 2003 and replaced it with a Black Bear in 2010.