Ole Miss Picks Rebel Black Bear...Not Admiral Ackbar

According to The Clarion-Ledger, the Rebel Mascot Selection Committee announced Thursday that the Rebel Black Bear will be the school's new mascot.

The Rebel Black Bear was selected after an online vote held over the past week between the bear, the Rebel Land Shark and the Rebel Hotty Toddy.  Others thought that Star Wars character Admiral Ackbar should be the mascot choice since he led the Rebel Alliance.

The bear will replace Colonel Reb, the goateed Southern gentleman banished from the sidelines nearly seven years ago as part of the school's effort to distance itself from symbols of the old South.

In 1997, Ole Miss ended the waving of Confederate flags at sporting events. Last year, the band stopped playing a fight song to discourage the fan chant, "The South will rise again."