After months of discussion, the vote is in, and Dixie State College has a new mascot.
Popular opinion decided to call the former Rebels the Red Storm, removing all indications of a Confederate identity, which was adopted at the southern Utah school in the 1950s.
The new black bull mascot, called Ragin' Red, debuted during a victorious men's basketball game against Notre Dame de Namur. Red dazzled the largest crowd of the season with stunts, high-fives and chest bumps, capping off halftime festivities.
"The value of a positive new identity for Dixie State College cannot be underestimated," Dixie Athletic Director Dexter Irvin said. "The athletic department is excited and ready to run with our new look." He added that the new identity will give Dixie teams and academic programs "positive leverage" throughout the state, the country and the NCAA.
"This is a great mascot/nickname that the students, alumni and fans can adopt and grow old with," Irvin said.
In 2007, the Dixie Board of Trustees voted to retire the use of the Rebel nickname and the Confederate identity and formed a naming committee, headed by student body president Brock Bybee, to come up with a new identity that reflected the pioneer heritage, traditions at the school and in the surrounding community, and the values and work ethic of the region.
It began with the "Dixie Idol" campaign and contest, during which nearly 3,500 concept suggestions were made over a five-week period. From those, a list of 20 was compiled, and the first round of voting ensued in October. More than 2,600 votes were cast in the first round, and in addition to eliminating potential licensing and copyright infringements, the list was pared down to the top 10 concepts.
Reduced voter turnout and budget constraints resulted in cutting "Dixie Idol" short, eliminating the final round in which the top three concepts would be modeled for students, alumni, faculty, staff and the community.
"Our voting numbers fell 65 percent overall that second round of voting, which was a red flag of sorts, considering the time and resources put into marketing and promoting the process," said Steve Johnson, director of public relations and marketing at Dixie. "The committee felt the process had run its course."
The committee decided the winner from the contest's top-three options, which included the Red Storm, Red Devils and Red Hawks.
An early decision, Johnson said, will give Dixie's athletic teams a marked identity during its last six weeks of seasonal competition. New uniforms, to debut next year, will be the next step for the teams and the coaches. The official licensing and marketing process is also under way.
"We will try to be as visible as we can be, not only on campus, but locally and regionally," Johnson said. "This is an exciting time to rally around Dixie and the Red Storm."
E-mail: wleonard@desnews.com