The Ole Miss Rebels have a new mascot, y’all. They’re still the Rebels, mind you, but the fuzzy costume donned by the guy strutting along the sidelines will now be a shark.
More specifically, it’ll be a landshark named Tony. During its annual Meet the Rebels fan event on Saturday, the school officially unveiled its new on-field mascot, which replaces the oft-maligned black bear that’s cheered on the university’s sports teams since 2010.
On the surface, a shark seems an odd choice to represent a school in north Mississippi. Sharks have little historical connection to the state, and while roughly a dozen species are commonly found in the warm waters off the Mississippi Gulf Coast, not a single one has yet evolved the ability to live on land.