Rebel Black Bear 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 due to its perceived racial connotations as a Confederate soldier or antebellum Southern plantation owner . A contest was held in which fans were invited to design a replacement . The athletic department chose two finalists , Rebel Bruiser and Rowdy Rebel , and invited fans to vote on their favorite . The limited fan response prompted the administration to cancel the poll . Many still supported Colonel Reb as the school mascot . 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 . An internet campaign to replace Colonel Reb with the ' Star Wars ' character Admiral Ackbar gained a cult following . Admiral Ackbar was a high - ranking commander of the Rebel Alliance in the fictional Star Wars universe . However the students that began the campaign insisted Admiral Ackbar is 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 . " It is unclear if Lucasfilm , which owns the Admiral Ackbar character , would have authorized Ole Miss to use his image for their mascot or not . 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 ! " 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 . 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 . 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 ; the Rebel Land Shark ; and Hotty Toddy , from a popular cheer . Based on its support throughout the process , including the final poll , the committee selected Rebel , The Black Bear as the new on - field mascot . The University reclassified the Colonel Reb trademark as historical and still retains ownership of the trademark . Bears in Mississippi . The state is home for two types of bear 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 .