SEC Football: Ole Miss turns to Landsharks to ward off NCAA gloom

During the fall, every morsel about SEC football is gulped down by fans. Ole Miss announced a Landsharks mascot and the attention turned to derision.

SEC football stories never cease to amaze. What was Ole Miss thinking? I have asked that question often the last couple of years and with every answer came an expectation the University of Mississippi would soon come to its senses. And every time I was wrong.

Unlike Tennesee and Auburn, I have a residual fondness for the school. Oxford is a lovely town. The campus is picturesque. Plus, the home of William Faulkner earned lasting admiration through the words of one of America’s greatest authors.

If only Ole Miss could have been content with a supporting actor role in SEC football drama. But they could not and their response became a melodrama and then a comedy.

After being fooled by the Reverend and buying into all the public and NCAA tawdriness that followed, Ole Miss just never learns. This week the University of Mississippi announced a new official mascot for its sports programs. The Ole Miss Rebels/Black Bears are now the Ole Miss Rebels/Landsharks.

The Twitter Response to the Landsharks Announcement

Twitter exploded in laughter and ridicule.

Perhaps some of you don’t know that Landsharks are fictional characters, created by Saturday Night Live in 1974. If that is news to you, make sure to play the video above.

Check out these other Twitter responses.

As you can see, Ole Miss athletes and students have long embraced the Landshark as an unofficial mascot. The Black Bear that replaced Colonel Reb in 2010 never caught on in Oxford. According to Twitter, auditions for the Landshark character begin next week.

When did Ole Miss become associated with Landsharks?

Ole Miss began calling its defensive unit the Landsharks in 2008 and ‘Fins Up’ became a battle cry for Rebels faithful. Looking back it seems Rebels fans have some appreciation for the tenure of Houston Nutt who was the head coach when the appellation was inaugurated.

The earlier history of the Colonel Reb mascot carries a mixture of love and harsh feelings. The Colonel Reb logo was created in 1937. The logo was widely used by Ole Miss but the actual Colonel Reb mascot was not introduced until 1979. Ole Miss fans loved him. Many SEC football fans thought Colonel Rebel was a good match for Ole Miss.

Based upon concerns Colonel Rebel did not correctly portray a diverse student population, the mascot was removed from the field in 2003. Colonel Reb did not disappear. Until the Black Bear mascot was created in 2010, Colonel Reb appeared at school-affiliated functions. Unofficially, the character still shows up at tailgates and other unofficial events.

This year the school decided to let the student body choose a new mascot. The Black Bear was kicked away in favor of a Landshark. In announcing the change, school officials reminded everyone Ole Miss will always be the Rebels.

Ole Miss is entitled to whatever mascot it chooses. Choosing a fictional animal is unconventional but should not be inherently controversial. The question is not so much why, but why now? Why would any school slogging through an extended period of almost universal disdain, subject itself to more abuse?

I have no answer. And I will not again make the mistake of thinking Ole Miss will now come to its senses.

Next: Oxford Gloom as Ole Miss Awaits NCAA Doom

The other surprising Ole Miss story of the week concerns Athletic Director, Ross Bjork. Apparently, Bjork is on a shortlist to become AD at Nebraska. Bjork repeatedly defended Freeze for many months, calling Freeze a man of “high level of character and integrity.” Bjork is a hot property in college football circles because he is a master fundraiser.