the school's official colors of scarlet and gray can be traced to 1958, when unlv adopted as mascot a wolf wearing a confederate uniform. scarlet and gray were traditional colors of the confederacy with its gray uniforms and red-based flag. unlv's mascot is hey reb, the toned-down version of the original mascot named beauregard, which was a wolf character dressed in confederate hat and uniform. unlv's hey reb mascot made his debut in 1983. he received his first makeover in 1997 and second in 2009. named one of 12 all-american mascots, he competed for the title of 2004 capital one mascot of the year and made a strong showing by coming in second in online voting. no stranger to national television, hey reb has also appeared in two memorable espn sportscenter commercials.