No more changes for Rebel mascot


The mustachioed mascot at Hays High School looks like he’s hopping mad.

col jack hays rebel mascot
Illustration by Hays Free Press

If so, he’s got his reasons. First, “Colonel Jack” lost his belt buckle bearing the Stars and Bars. Then the carpetbaggers commandeered his pistols, replacing
them with a couple of harmless flags.

At least no one’s tried to strip him of his uniform. Might there be a pair of long johns beneath those Confederate grays?

In the past few weeks, a rebel yell has been raised to protect Colonel Jack from any further insult. Hays High School alumni and athletic supporters are coming together to save their mascot from the dustbin of history, much like the fate of actual Rebels who fought during the Civil War.

“Don’t take the rebel away!” implores one Facebook group, which boasts more than 100 members.

But those sympathizers are just whistling Dixie, according to Hays High School Principal David Pierce.

“It’s all rumor,” he said. “It’s all false. I have not tried to change any mascot, nor have I wanted to change the mascot.”

It’s not even up for discussion, Pierce added.

“There’s not been anyone that’s approached me about it,” he said. “I’m sure there’s people out there that don’t like it. Really, that could be said for a lot of mascots.”

The mascot has been around almost as long as football coach Bob Shelton, who retired after the end of last season. Shelton had coached at Hays since it opened in 1968, and at Buda High School four years before that.

“As far as I know, people will take that mascot, and different organizations will do different things with it,” Shelton said. “The ones we use for athletics, I think he still has guns in his hands.”

People have argued that Confederate imagery, including the rebel, is a painful reminder of slavery. At the collegiate level, the University of Mississippi’s mascot, Colonel Reb, was retired in 2003. Last year, Ole Miss replaced him with an anthropomorphic black bear.

About 10 high schools around Texas boast Rebel mascots.

The original Colonel Jack, though, was no rebel. Jack C. Hays, the namesake of Hays High School and Hays County, was a former Texas Ranger who lived in California during the Civil War.

During the fighting, he remained neutral.

Published Feb. 17, 2011, in the Hays Free Press.


9,449 responses to “No more changes for Rebel mascot”

  1. In the course of the Warfare of 1812, the two took supply of an ark of anthracite coal which was notoriously troublesome to combust reliably and experimented with methods to make use of it industrially, providing the information to efficiently start resolving the ongoing decades long vitality crises around eastern cities.

  2. I like the helpful information you provide in your articles. I?ll bookmark your weblog and check again here frequently. I am quite certain I will learn a lot of new stuff right here! Good luck for the next!

  3. I have observed that online diploma is getting popular because getting your degree online has developed into popular method for many people. A large number of people have not really had a possibility to attend an established college or university nonetheless seek the raised earning possibilities and a better job that a Bachelor’s Degree affords. Still some others might have a degree in one discipline but want to pursue another thing they already have an interest in.

  4. This design is wicked! You certainly know how to keep a reader entertained. Between your wit and your videos, I was almost moved to start my own blog (well, almost…HaHa!) Wonderful job. I really enjoyed what you had to say, and more than that, how you presented it. Too cool!

  5. What i do not realize is actually how you are not actually much more well-liked than you might be now. You are very intelligent. You realize therefore significantly relating to this subject, produced me personally consider it from so many varied angles. Its like women and men aren’t fascinated unless it is one thing to accomplish with Lady gaga! Your own stuffs great. Always maintain it up!

  6. You actually make it seem so easy with your presentation but I find this matter to be really something which I think I would never understand. It seems too complicated and very broad for me. I’m looking forward for your next post, I?ll try to get the hang of it!

  7. In the meantime, a background service in your computer or gadget periodically syncs each of the folder’s contents with its duplicate on the web server.

  8. With a staggering 79 progress charge in its predominant index, the TSE ranked 1st in WFE’s “Broad Stock Index Performance” category adopted by the Colombo and Lima Stock Exchanges with 75.1 and 48.9 charges respectively.

  9. The IMF blamed ‘heightened trade and geopolitical tensions’ as the main purpose for the slowdown, citing Brexit and the China – United States commerce conflict as major causes for slowdown in 2019, whereas other economists blamed liquidity points.

  10. Patients taking up the scheme are funded for longer telehealth classes with GPs, and have access to expanded bulk-billed telehealth companies if they’re in certain focused groups.

  11. This event continued into February 17 with the presence of a longwave trough and robust upper-level winds over the Central Gulf Coast States, and new supercells developed later that day, producing tornadoes across the Florida Panhandle and Alabama.

  12. But rec­ent occasions like the Enron debacle, the proposed privatization of Social Security and the subprime mortgage disaster have turned common interest to financial principles in a manner we normally see solely within the wake of a stock market crash.

  13. Equally, as soon as the batteries have been drained to a sure predetermined stage, controlled by measuring battery voltage, many charge controllers won’t enable more present to be drained from the batteries until they have been recharged.

  14. Write more, thats all I have to say. Literally, it seems as though you relied on the video to make your point. You definitely know what youre talking about, why throw away your intelligence on just posting videos to your blog when you could be giving us something enlightening to read?

  15. hi!,I like your writing so much! share we be in contact more approximately your article on AOL? I need a specialist in this area to resolve my problem. Maybe that is you! Looking ahead to see you.

  16. Usually I do not read article on blogs, however I would like to say that this write-up very compelled me to take a look at and do it! Your writing style has been amazed me. Thank you, very nice article.

  17. Hello, Neat post. There is a problem with your site in internet explorer, could check this… IE still is the market chief and a good component of folks will leave out your great writing due to this problem.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *