OXFORD, Miss. -- It took seven years, but the University of Mississippi has a substitute for a beloved and reviled mascot who brought the Confederacy to mind. The new guy is still a rebel, only cuddlier.

"Rebel Black Bear" won 62 percent of the vote in a final poll, the school announced Thursday. Its athletic programs will keep the Rebels nickname.

It has been more than a decade since Ole Miss began stripping away its images of the Old South. Confederate battle flags were first to go. Next was mascot "Colonel Reb," the goateed Southern planter who cheered on the Rebels from the sidelines since 1979.

Ole Miss' new mascot -- the Rebel Black Bear -- in his various attires. AP Photo/University of Mississippi Student Mascot Selection Committee

Tradition dies hard in Oxford, where tens of thousands of fans turn out in ties and sundresses on fall Saturdays for elaborate tailgate parties in "The Grove" before football games. An unofficial motto is: "We may lose a game, but we never lose a party."

Picking a replacement became a matter of statewide import and the subject of online pranks, like the suggestion of a "rebel" from the Star Wars movies, Admiral Ackbar.

In the end, the smiling black bear inspired in part by longtime Oxford resident William Faulkner won out, defeating two other nominees. One was the "Rebel Land Shark," based on the "fins up" hand motion started by late football player Tony Fein. The other was "Hotty Toddy," a gray human-like character that aimed to personify a school cheer that begins: "Are you ready? Hell yes! Damn right! Hotty Toddy, gosh almighty! ... "

"I know there was a lot of people emotionally invested in Colonel Reb and everybody might not completely agree with the bear, but I think everyone can be proud of how our students went about the process," said Sparky Reardon, the university's dean of students.

Margaret Ann Morgan, a co-chairman of the student mascot selection committee, said the bear was recommended because it had a Mississippi connection, would appeal to children and would be unique to the Southeastern Conference.

Ty New, the other committee chairman, said everyone in the university's community -- including faculty, students, alumni and season ticketholders -- had a say. More than 13,000 eligible voters voted in the final poll.

"The fact that we were completely transparent through the process makes this a credible choice," New said in a news release.

Some of the colonel's faithful staged protests earlier this year and attempted to derail the search for a new mascot in the last few weeks by gathering signatures to make Colonel Reb one of the choices.