OXFORD — Ole Miss announced Friday the name of the Landshark will be Tony in honor of Tony Fein, the first Rebel to throw “Fins Up.”
New marks, social media accounts and a website related to the Landshark were released Saturday.
Fein, who lettered for the Rebels in 2007 and 2008, will be remembered with the likes of Ole Miss football because of his legacy on and off the field. Before the Rebel family started throwing up the Landshark at every opportunity, a young man from Washington introduced it to them.
“When Tony was born, we knew he was created with a purpose,” said Cindy Daniels, mother of Tony Fein. “My son always had the ability unify people from all backgrounds, and it’s exciting for his legacy to be part of something that everyone can enjoy. He was my gentle giant, and it’s nice to see this is happening in his honor.”
Fein went on to make the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens, but he died Oct. 6, 2009.
Fein’s Landshark rally cry made a home in the Ole Miss defense during the 2008 season. It started in practice that season, when Fein sacked then-quarterback Jevan Snead during a drill and quickly threw up the hand sign.
Spurring his defensive peers to smell blood in the water like a shark, Fein’s teammates adopted the Landshark persona, and the Rebel defense rose up to become one of the nation’s best, ranking fourth in the nation against the run in 2008. After four straight losing seasons, Ole Miss returned to prominence with a 9-4 record, and before long, the whole team and fan base were throwing “Fins Up.”
Growing up in the small town of Port Orchard, Washington, football was everything to Fein. Playing on both sides of the ball, Fein starred at quarterback and linebacker for South Kitsap High School before joining the Army after his senior year rather than pursue an opportunity to play football in college. Turns out, there were bigger things in life than football for Fein.
Following graduation from high school, Fein served three-and-a-half years in the Army, including one tour in Iraq. After his discharge, Fein enrolled in Scottsdale Community College in Arizona and became a top junior college prospect, earning first-team All-America honors from the JC Grid-Wire and the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA).
Ole Miss was looking to replace production at linebacker after the graduation of Patrick Willis. Enter Fein, who transferred to Ole Miss in 2007 at age 25, not your usual college newcomer. Fein came in as a true leader on the field, due in part to his service to his country.
Fein earned two letters while playing middle linebacker, seeing action in 24 games, including seven starts. He was credited with 136 tackles, including eight for a loss, during his two seasons. Fein’s 84 tackles in 2007 ranked second on the team and 10th in the Southeastern Conference (7.6 per game), while his 52 tackles in 2008 ranked third on the team.
In the spring of 2008, Fein received the Pat Tillman Patriot Award by the Military Order of the Purple Heart to exhibit to Americans that some athletes can battle on the gridiron or on the battlefield.
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