Ole Miss goes ‘fins up’ for new mascot, Landshark Tony

Landshark Tony was introduced to the Ole Miss Nation at the school’s Meet the Team Day in Oxford on Saturday, complete with his own hype video.

The new school on-field mascot, which replaces the black bear, is a nod to the football team’s “Landshark Defense” that was coined in 2008 when Tony Fein, an Army veteran who joined Ole Miss in 2007, threw the “fins up” sign.

The black bear, nicknamed Rebel, made its debut in 2010 after a fan vote of options that included the landshark. A campus campaign to include Star Wars character Admiral Ackbar was unable to get him on the final ballot.

According to Ole Miss, “his Landshark rally cry made a home in the Ole Miss defensive unit during the 2008 season and is alive today.”

In addition to the mascot, Ole Miss also released new logos that incorporate the landshark logo, as well as new social media accounts. The mascot’s Twitter handle is @LandsharkTony, aka LANDSH47K, and his website is landsharkmascot.com. He even has his own hashtag, #FinsUpRebels.

Fein also was awarded the Pat Tillman Patriot Award in 2008 by the Military Order of the Purple Heart, given to a player who can battle on the gridiron and the battlefield.

Fein died Oct. 6, 2009, from an accidental overdose.

Because of Fein’s inspiration, the Landshark mascot is named Tony in his honor and wears the former Rebel linebacker’s number, 47.

Social media was abuzz with updates from Oxford about the reveal and one fan even posted the hype video that was part of Landshark Tony’s big debut.

This story was originally published August 11, 2018 at 3:12 PM.