JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Students at the University of Mississippi are getting ready to vote on replacing a mascot the school dumped seven years ago in an effort to distance itself from old South stereotypes.
Colonel Reb, a caricature of a white plantation owner, was the Ole Miss mascot until 2003. Now some students say they need something to replace him so the school isn't the only one in the Southeastern Conference without a mascot.
But other students and alumni say they'd rather have no mascot at all if they can't have Colonel Reb.
More than 18,000 students are eligible to vote in an online referendum all day Tuesday. The results will be announced later Tuesday night.
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Comments » 5
VOLinATL writes:
Bring back Col. Reb!!
al2476 writes:
I agree, bring back Johnny Reb.
marinevol writes:
Good for Ole Miss. A university should not be a place to promote hatred and bigotry. Unfortunately, this will probably help their recruiting.
UMREB1992 writes:
Since I graduated from Ole Miss, I suppose that I might as well weigh in here. Originally, Colonel Reb was based on a man from Oxford named Blind Jim Ivy. Mr Ivy was an African American who was befriended by students at the university in the 1930s. He would come to the football games at old Hemingway Stadium dressed in a white suit complete with a string tie, and the goatee seen on Colonel Reb. When my father-in-law attended Ole Miss in the early 1960s there was a student dressed up as a Confederate soldier. During my days in Oxford the University banned the rebel flags from the games. As time has gone on any vestiges of the old Ole Miss are being swept away. I suppose since I know the history of Colonel Reb that I have no problem with that being the mascot. If he is not, however, I'd be just as comfortable with Ole Miss getting rid of the Rebel nickname and adopting something more relevant...like say the Hurricanes or the Americans...Ole Miss Americans, get it:) Just as an aside, though...as a Scotsman I am really offended by the Notre Dame Fighting Irish...who do I contact at the NCAA to make that moneymaking machine change their nickname.
Gator_Hater (Inactive) writes:
Can't remember if I saw it on Rivals or ESPN, but the word is the students had mostly endorsed the Admirals, with Admiral Ackbar from "Return of the Jedi" as the mascot. That would be the shiznit!
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