Anna Grace Bowling
Tony the Landshark and Colonel Reb may have been official mascots for Ole Miss athletic teams in seasons past, but Juice, head coach Lane Kiffin’s furry best friend, is so popular among the Ole Miss faithful now that he has become an unofficial mascot for the football team.
Fans are familiar with the Golden British Labrador Retriever that prances down the Walk of Champions at every home game. And “his” active presence on Twitter provides comedic relief daily.
On April 26, Kiffin tweeted: “Thank you so much @wildrosekennels for ‘Juice’ @OleMissFB new mascot.”
Since that spring day, Juice has brought so much joy to the Oxford community and has undoubtedly become a celebrity in his own right. Juice wrote his first tweet in June and continues to post regularly.
ESPN’s “College Gameday,” on campus for the Kentucky game in October, produced a special feature on Juice and had this to say about his addition to Ole Miss’ campus: “Juice has 25k Twitter followers … more than any player on the team.”
When the team arrives on campus for a game, Juice gets off the bus first, alongside Kiffin’s son, Knox, and walks down the Walk of Champions ahead of the players to greet fans before kickoff. On the field during warm-ups, Juice makes the rounds to get players hyped for the game.
During the game, however, coaches do not want “the Juice loose,” so he has his own tent on the sideline where he sits while his dad is busy at work.
On Twitter, in the Grove or on the field, Juice brings laughter and entertainment to Ole Miss football fans.
