UNLV Runnin' Rebels mascot Hey Reb performs before a game between the Rebels and the Incarnate Word Cardinals at Thomas & Mack Center. Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

UNLV Navigates Mascot Identity After Hey Reb! Retirement

Originally posted on UNLV Rebels on SI
By Mark Morales-Smith | Last updated May 28, 2025 10:36 AM ET

Since retiring their mascot, Hey Reb!, in 2021, the UNLV Rebels have been without a mascot for the first time since 1976 - 1982. The reason for the removal of Hey Reb! was the belief that he depicted a character that the school no longer felt fit for what they represented.

"Multiple university administrations wrestled with finding a solution representative of varying perspectives while also acknowledging the campus’ rich diversity," it said on the UNLV website. "Hey Reb’s retirement in 2021 followed the removal of a statue from the university campus in June 2020 - through a mutual decision with the donor - and the subsequent refrain from its use in the traditional areas of student recruitment and athletics throughout the fall of 2020."

This did not come without backlash and even some petitioning against the removal of the beloved mascot:

“The Hey Reb mascot is defined as a rebel and a mountain man. A westerner, a pathfinder, and a rugged individual,” wrote petitioner Craig Lake. “This group recognizes this rugged mountain man as an integral part of Las Vegas and University history and bands together and requests his statue to be returned to the UNLV campus, and Hey Reb and the Rebels remain a part of UNLV now and in the future.”

This, of course, begs the question: When will the Rebels get a new mascot? Mascots are a big part of college sports and getting the crowd into home games. One would have to imagine that at some point in the not-too-distant future that UNLV will unveil a new character to interact with their fans. It will be interesting to see what idea they go with based on the image they want to portray to the rest of the country.