ASK MR. SUN:

Why are the UNLV sports teams represented by a Confederate rebel?

Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2008 | 2 a.m.

Mascot Hey Reb is a remnant of UNLV's identification with the Confederacy, a result of its start as a branch of that university in the North.

Ask Mr. Sun

•••

Hey Reb, the hat-wearing, square-chinned, mustachioed mascot, isn’t a rebel of the Confederacy. UNLV cut ties with its Old South symbolism in the 1970s, after students protested its racist connotations.

Before that, however, UNLV drew liberally on the symbols of the Confederacy. The original mascot was Beauregard, a cartoon wolf clad in a Confederate gray military jacket and cap. The student government — now the Consolidated Students of the University of Nevada — was originally the Confederated Students of the University of Nevada. And, for a time, the football team’s helmets were emblazoned with a Rebel flag.

To understand why UNLV students cast themselves as rebels, it helps to understand the civil war being waged in state politics when Southern Nevada’s university was founded, in 1957. The school, which began as a “branch” of the University of Nevada, in Reno, had to fight the political power of the north to become autonomous.

“Although UNLV dropped its Confederate mascot, the school’s colors and the Rebel nickname endured,” wrote UNLV history professor Eugene Moehring in “The University of Nevada, Las Vegas: A History.” “After all, ‘rebel’ stood for much more than a supporter of the Civil War against the Union ... Most of all, in Southern Nevada it stood for those who had opposed northern domination in the state Legislature and unwanted dependency upon Reno.”

Questions for Mr. Sun should be sent to page8@lasvegassun.com.

Discussion: 13 comments so far…

By in_sider

12/23/08 at 9:02 a.m.

Suggest removal

Here's the issue I have. Why after all that effort for their own identity and 83 years of being known as NEVADA prior to "Nevada Southern" was established, does UNLV have a problem with the school up north being known as NEVADA? TEXAS has its UTEP, Cal has is UCLA, NORTH CAROLINA has its UNCA. Why can't NEVADA have its UNLV?

NEVADA was established in 1874, UNLV 1957 . . . who gets to decide what NEVADA is called? The powers that be in Las Vegas or the university that made the other possible? Get over your inferiority complex and realize that UNLV has done a great job branding themselves. Allow NEVADA the same courtesy.
By mikegino

12/23/08 at 9:24 a.m.

Suggest removal

The Confederate battle flag is offensive to many; moreover, it represents a flawed cause that failed. Having said that, perhaps it is a good symbol for UNLV and its dubious academic standards.
By gqbossing

12/23/08 at 9:42 a.m.

Suggest removal

I think of UNR as Nevada, that's what they are on the mational stage (for us from somewhere else). Heck, some of us don't even know UNLV is in Las Vegas or Nevada unless we are sports fans...

If you folks from Reno want to have the word "Reno" removed from your name go for it, it's a moot point for the folks living down here.

As for the Rebel and ties to confederate movement: Times change, people change, the world changes. When you create something it is what it is at that time, and when the world changes so does the aspects of it. Think bell bottoms, segregation, big square cars...
By SMB

12/23/08 at 9:54 a.m.

Suggest removal

Hey in_sider, you have it wrong.

UNLV folks do not have a problem with UNR folks wanting to call themselves Nevada. Quite the contrary. It is those up north who have some type of complex thinking it rubs us wrong that you call yourselves that. Reality is, you guys whine so much at us calling you UNR that it gives us a reason to bother you. Maybe if Reno folk's didn't whine about it so much UNLV folks would have never picked up on it. Besides both universities are part of the University of Nevada system and thus are both the University of Nevada regardless of when they were founded. One is University of Nevada Reno (nicknames UNR & Nevada) and the other is University of Nevada Las Vegas (nicknamed UNLV). Stop making a big deal about nothing! Who care what you call yourselves because UNLV doesn't unless we know what gets under your skin LOL!

As for as the mascot, I read that when Hey Reb was changed to what he is currently he was meant to be a western origin mountain man or prospector. Thus not a civil war era confederate "Rebel" but a Nevada Rebel
By lvlarry

12/23/08 at 9:56 a.m.

Suggest removal

There's not problem with calling UNR, Nevada. We just think it should really be called by the name that best represents the university. You should be referred to as "Reno." There are other names but you probably wouldn't be able to publish those.
By true_rebel_fan

12/23/08 at 10:15 a.m.

Suggest removal

this is the stupidist article i have ever read. reno and las vegas are in the same school system -- right or wrong? now, why would the smaller, lesser known, lesser populated be referred to as NEVADA? hmmmm... the argument is... well... reno is older, so they should go by that. doesn't it matter where all of the money in the state comes from? so, RENO is what you are and what you are staying, or, do you prefer trailer parks up north? white trash? hmm... reno sounds pretty good, huh? us in las vegas could careless about reno or your desire to be NEVADA. in the end, all you come here to live and retire in the rv parks up there.

go home
By TRUE_FAN

12/23/08 at 10:27 a.m.

Suggest removal

UNR fans crack me up. They continue to cry and moan about being called UNR, and then wonder why everyone keeps calling them that.

unr dot edu is the school's website.

And it really doesn't help UNR's cause when their own fans chant "UNR" "UNR" "UNR" (see the game at San Diego this year and the subsequent crying about it on the unr message board).

I will never refer to UNR as anything but UNR and applaud our local media for doing the same. Who cares what any of them think. It is so great to hear them complain about it too.
By Me

12/23/08 at 10:40 a.m.

Suggest removal

If you really want to be Nevada and not UNR, fine by me. I would be embarrassed on being affiliated with that city also.

But if you really want to be Nevada, take the UNR out of the tubas and stop chanting U-N-R during games.
By rebelbandman

12/23/08 at 5:07 p.m.

Suggest removal

1. Who gives a crap about UNR and their small man complex?

2. @mikegino have you checked out UNLV's academic standards lately? It is so annoying that people just assume that UNLV is a bad academic school. Maybe you should actually do some research before you just condemn UNLV's academic standards. UNLV is a strong national research institution with a very selective admission process.
By marylandpkwy

12/23/08 at 6:04 p.m.

Suggest removal

Do University of California, Los Angeles and University of California, Berkeley have this same problem? Because I always think of the school as Berkeley and the sports team as Cal. Berkeley was founded in 1800's and UCLA was founded in the 1900's. Maybe Reno just needs to work on it's town a little bit so it doesn't feel embarrassed. Not an insult. Embrace your town Reno students. I mean, with the exacting admissions requirements, top tier reputation and centuries of history and tradition you surely turned down Harvard, Yale, etc. to go there.
By VegasIz4Whores

12/23/08 at 9:42 p.m.

Suggest removal

Personally I could give a crap about what UNLV fans call Nevada. You're just being contrarian little babies. Ask Gonzaga fans who Nevada is? Ask Michigan St. fans who Nevada is? Ask Georgia Tech fans who Nevada is? Ask Texas Tech fans who Nevada is?

Ask people around the country what the name UNLV brings to mind, 99% of them will say "Really good basketball 'school' from the 80's who couldn't keep up their dominance after their crooked coach was FINALLY run out of town by his own administration."

Congrats on FINALLY hiring a coach who is trying to do it the right way. It's a shame the glitterati boosters in Vegas will eventually be his undoing. Their thirst for winning at all costs is institutionalized in that place.
By spxman

12/24/08 at 12:16 p.m.

Suggest removal

name came about when UNLV was Nevada Southern University.
Back then, we didn't have all the political correctness we do now. They used to wave a confederate flag, they don't now.
You may think it was racist -you may not-
I'm just giving you the facts.
By doogie

12/24/08 at 8:39 p.m.

Suggest removal

I'm really proud of my bartender chickie. She has a brilliant son-a musician, a composer who received a Millenium scholarship. Just got his first semester grades-mostly A's. Double major with law enforcement. But the best thing is that he goes to UNR. Kids, get the hell out of town-if possible. Otherwise, you'll end up parking cars and begging for tips, like most of the children of their tip dependent parent(s) reading this post. Sad...