Admiral Ackbar for Ole Miss mascot spurs backlash

By Larry Hartstein and Ty Tagami

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Will a "Star Wars" character be the new Ole Miss mascot?

Not if some Rebel fans get their way.

On Tuesday, Ole Miss students voted to find a new mascot to replace the abandoned Colonel Reb. A student committee will soon form to develop and propose a new mascot.

Admiral Ackbar, a member of the Mon Calamari species who led the Rebel Alliance ships into the Battle of Endor, appears to be the early favorite. He has more than 14,000 Facebook fans. Websites like notatrap.org -- "It's a trap!" was his famous line -- are promoting Ackbar's candidacy.

But members of the Ackbar alliance have taken some incoming fire. Angry students have contacted them and threatened to transfer if the alien rebel becomes the new face of Ole Miss, his supporters told the entertainment Web site TMZ.

The group even heard from parents of current and prospective students -- with some threatening to "never send their kids to Ole Miss" if the Admiral wins out, TMZ reported.

The folks at notatrap.org have soldiered on: "Who wants a Colonel when you could have an Admiral?" the Web site asks, before launching into "The Story of Ole Miss Ackbar."

"A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away ... Admiral Ackbar received a deep space transmission of SEC coverage. He found that he couldn't stop watching everything from football to volleyball. One team stood out to him, the Ole Miss Rebels. He led the Galactic Rebellion, and he knew he needed to be with the Ole Miss Rebels. And so, he started the long trek to Oxford, Miss."

The Colonel, who served as the official mascot for 24 years, was discontinued in 2003 when school officials decided his image was a bit too Old South and might offend some minorities.

The character still appears at pregame tailgating festivities on the Ole Miss campus, but he has no official role with the school.

It's unclear when an official decision will be made.