UNLV will retire 'Hey Reb!' mascot but keep 'Rebels' nickname denying it refers to the Confederacy

Publish date: 2024-07-27

The University of Nevada Las Vegas will retire its ‘Hey Reb!’ mascot that was inspired by the ‘Western trailblazers of the 1800s’ after accusations it celebrated the Confederacy.

Last spring, it was revealed that UNLV had removed a statue of the controversial moustachioed mascot amid backlash from Black Lives Matter about its ties to the Civil War.

The university’s original mascot, named Beauregard after the Confederate general who fired the first shots of the Civil War, was removed in the mid 1970s but critics complain that its replacement Hey Reb! was sprung from the same racist roots.

UNLV President Keith E. Whitfield wrote an update letter to students on Tuesday that ‘for all intents and purposes, the Hey Reb! mascot has been retired since last spring’ and that there are no plans to bring it back or create a new one.

‘My predecessor, President Marta Meana, essentially addressed this issue late last spring when she had a statue of the mascot removed from the main campus,’ Whitfield said.

UNLV President Keith E. Whitfield told students that the school's longtime Hey Reb! mascot has been retired

UNLV President Keith E. Whitfield told students that the school’s longtime Hey Reb! mascot has been retired

Critics have long slammed the mascot as racist for ties to the Confederacy

Last spring, the school quietly removed a Hey Reb! statue from campus

‘Since that time, and even before my arrival, the university stopped using the mascot in the traditional areas of student recruitment and athletics.’

Whitfield noted that several other universities including Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Central Michigan have no mascot. The Green Bay Packers, New York Giants and New York Jets also have no mascot.

Last year, it was revealed that the former Redskins would change its name to the Washington Football Team after critics said the original name was steeped in racism.

In 2018, Major League Baseball officials said the former Cleveland Indians’ team’s mascot, Chief Wahoo, should not be used. The team has since announced that its changing its name from the Indians.

Another college, Mississippi, discontinued use of its mascot, Colonel Reb, in 2010, but has not changed its Confederate nickname, the Rebels.

Whitfield added that the school also didn’t have a mascot in the mid-1970s – but defended the Rebels name as a ‘nationally recognized brand synonymous with UNLV.’

The school's previous mascot, Beauregard, was also retired over claims that it was racist

The school’s previous mascot, Beauregard, was also retired over claims that it was racist

‘I believe the word “rebel” represents an attitude or spirit. It captures the essence of an iconic city that is unconventional and celebrates its independence, tenacity, and resiliency,’ Whitfield said.

‘Rebels have a purpose or motivation for a greater cause and are not afraid to take risks to make incredible things happen.’

Whitfield said that the school's Rebels nickname would remain

Whitfield said that the school’s Rebels nickname would remain

Whitfield added that Las Vegas, and its gaming and hospitality industries, has become known worldwide for its ‘rebellious attitude that reflects nonconformity.’

‘The same can be said for UNLV. We have pushed boundaries through our history and achieved success when critics said we would fail,’ Whitfield said.

‘I was drawn to lead this great university because I identified with its spirit, determination, and daring style. Rebels are not afraid to fail and create a new path when one doesn’t exist.’

The choice of nickname is strange, considering Nevada was never a part of the Confederacy and didn’t even become a state until 1864 – just a year before the end of the Civil War.

A petition to have the mascot retired noted that former Senator Harry Reid and congresswoman Dina Titus have both suggested it be replaced

According to the school website, the Rebel name dates back to the mid-1950s when UNLV was a satellite campus for the University of Nevada in Reno.

Students chose the Rebels name to describe ‘the natural rivalry that accompanied the split between what would become UNLV and UNR,’ according to the school.

The students also created a cartoon wolf wearing a Confederate uniform named Beauregard, after the Confederate general who fired the first shots of the Civil War, to ‘rebel’ against the wolf-pack mascot at the rival school.

A group of black student athletes banded to object to the Confederate imagery in the early 1970s, and Campus leaders agreed, and Beauregard was ultimately ‘banished’ in 1976.

‘While it was a decision based in rivalry and fun, the choice of a Confederate-themed mascot was nonetheless misguided and unfortunate,’ the website reads.

Colonel Beauregard: The Confederate soldier who started the Civil War

Pierre Gustave Toutant-Beauregard, known as the Little Frenchman, was the military officer who started the American Civil War when he led an attack on Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861.

Beauregard, a native of Lousiana, was born into a Creole family in St. Bernard Parish on May 28, 1818 and raised on a sugarcane plantation.

He attended West Point as a military cadet and graduated in 1838, before serving in the U.S. Army as an engineer during the Mexican–American War from 1846 to 1848 under General Winfield Scott.

Beauregard was wounded during the Battle of Chapultepec in 1847 and spent most of the next 12 years repairing old forts in the south.

He eventually resigned from the U.S. Army in February 1861 to serve as a brigadier general in the newly minted Confederate States Army.

Beauregard ordered the first shots of the American Civil War to be fired on Fort Sumter from nearby Fort Johnson in the early morning of April 12, 1961.

He was considered a hero and was promoted to a full general status later that year.

After the First Battle of Bull Run, Beauregard was instrumental in creating the battle flag that has since become popularly iconic of the confederacy.

Beauregard argued that it was impossible to tell the difference between the ‘Stars and Bars’ flag and that of the Union, which was causing confusion for soldiers.

The general chose a variation of the cross of St. Andrew, and he worked throughout his career to make the ‘Stainless Banner’ flag the popular symbol of the Confederacy that it still is today.

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UNLV then introduced Hey Reb! as an alternative, created by a former artist for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, in 1982.

Colonel Beauregard: The Confederate soldier who started the Civil War