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Ole Miss Confederate FlagThe Battle to Save Colonel Reb Continues
For the past several decades the Colonel Reb and the Confederate Flag were the symbols of the University of Mississippi.
The University Administration has decided that Colonel Reb causes perceptions of the Old South, an image of which the administration wishes to distance itself.
In 2003, the University Administration made a command decision to ban Colonel Reb, but no replacement has been decided on.
The purpose of the February 23 vote is for students to confirm approval for creating a new school mascot. The restoration of Colonel Reb is not an option on the ballot.
You Tube Video on Colonel Reb
Colonel Reb is my Mascot
Colonel Reb represents a southern gentleman, and has been a rallying symbol at Ole Miss, since 1937. The image of the Southern Colonel, patterned after Robert E. Lee, became the symbol of the school. The Confederate flag becomes a mainstay image of the school, as well. In 2009, students defy ultimatum to cease chanting The South Shall Rise Again joined by an animated and unreconstructed Colonel Reb.
A mascot at Ole Miss since the 1940's based on a real person at Ole Miss, Colonel Reb has transformed from a character in the Student Annual, to a student cheerleader voted to be on the sidelines during games, to a professional mascot for Ole Miss. In 2003 the University Administration tried to change the mascot despite 94% of students voting to keep Colonel Reb on the field. Ole Miss is now the only school in the SEC that does not have a mascot.
The Colonel Reb vs. University of Mississippi administration "war" has been complex and unnecessary. To understand it, you have to glimpse the history of "ColonelGate."
In the summer of 2003, Ole Miss students, alumni and fans were shocked with Chancellor Khayat and Athletic Director Pete Boone's decision to strip Colonel Reb from our school. Boone's reasoning was the mascot "doesn't fit anything we do." At no point did student or alumni input factor into the decision to get rid of the mascot.
This episode was not the first attack against Colonel Reb. In 1997 during his first tenure as athletic director, Boone introduced a goofy, muscular, football helmet-wearing version of the mascot. Students ridiculed this decision, as they formed the Rebel Student Union to combat the change. The students prevailed, and the steroid version of the Colonel was rejected. Boone would soon leave as athletic director.
Upon his return as athletic director, Boone decided to get rid of the Colonel for good. The Ole Miss family was stunned. it is estimated that millions were lost from donations. Many emotions erupted as a result of this action.
http://www.saveolemiss.com
The original Colonel Rebel emblem was a black man. Blind Jim Ivy was a campus fixture until his death in 1955, seven years before the school was integrated in 1962. He was affectionately known as "the dean of freshmen" for his many pep talks to incoming Ole Miss freshmen classes. Jim Ivy became an integral part of the University of Mississippi in 1896. Born in 1870 as the son of slave Matilda Ivy, he moved from Alabama to Mississippi in 1890. Ivy was blinded in his early teens when coal tar paint got into his eyes while painting the Tallahatchie River Bridge. Ivy became a peanut vendor in Oxford and was considered the university's mascot for many years.
Ivy attended most Ole Miss athletic events and was fond of saying, "I've never seen Ole Miss lose." A true statement from a beloved blind man and supporter of Ole Miss Football and the Confederate Flag. Ivy was very much a part of the Ole Miss scene in 1936 when the editor of the school newspaper proposed a contest to produce a new nickname for Ole Miss teams, then known as The Flood. Rebels were the choice of 18 out of 21 sports writers and the university's sports teams have forever been known as the Rebels. Two years later, Colonel Rebel appeared for the first time as an illustration in the university yearbook.
Newspaper articles that further explain the battle:
http://olemisslife.com/content/banned
Political correctness has been a costly decision at Ole Miss. Previously removing the Confederate Flag and Colonel Reb has upset the alumni of Ole Miss greatly, resulting in reduction in giving. Former Governor Ross Barnett Said:
What you can do. Encourage the Mississippi Alumni Association to take a stand to restore Colonel Reb, a new mascot is not acceptable.
George Wallace told us to, "Send them a message."
The University of Mississippi Alumni Association
Triplett Alumni Center Room 172, University, MS 38677,
Phone (662) 915-7375
Fax (662) 915-7756
Alumni Review Magazine email jim@olemiss.edu
Rebel Insider E-newsletter email tom@olemiss.edu
Call Admissions at:
662-915-7226 or 800-OLE-MISS (toll-free in MS),
email admissions@olemiss.edu
Financial Aid:
800-891-4596 (toll-free nationwide),
email finaid@olemiss.edu
Media & Public Relations:
662-915-7236, email
publicre@olemiss.edu
Send an email to the below addresses, and let them know, we want to bring back Colonel Reb
What is your opinion about the Ole Miss controversy?
State your opinion for others to read at:
http://www.southernwarroom.info
Southern War Room
The heritage of the Confederate flag has faded at Ole Miss with the banning of the flag at ball games in 1997. However, the flag heritage is still strong in Oxford, Ms as it is on display on numerous places on private property. The only southern state with the Confederate Flag as part of its symbol is Mississippi. And the Mississippi State Flag with the Confederate Cross of St. Andrews is proudly displayed throughout the state, but especially in Oxford.
The Confederate battle flag, called the "Southern Cross" or the cross of St. Andrew, has been described variously as a proud emblem of Southern heritage. In the past, several Southern states flew the Confederate battle flag along with the U.S. and state flags over their statehouses. The Southern Caucus provides information to promote our southern heritage.
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The good ole days when our Colonel Reb mascot let us at prep rallies at ball games, and our banner was the Confederate Flag.