The University of Colorado Boulder's live buffalo made No. 6 on the list of all-time greatest mascots.
Sports Illustrated recently released a list of the Greatest Mascots in College Football History, which ranked all the all-time best college football mascots in honor of the sports 150th anniversary— and one of Colorado’s own made the list.
Ralphie is the mascot for the University of Colorado Boulder and came in No. 6 on the list put out last week.
Ralphie weighs over a thousand pounds and is a live buffalo that first appeared on Folsom Field in 1966. There have been five different Ralphie’s since then, and all have been female. This is due to the less aggressive nature of the female bison and the smaller size of the animal. Ralphie runs around Folsom Field in a horseshoe pattern before each half of home games and it takes a team of five students to control her. She can hit speeds of 25 miles an hour and it is said that the current Ralphie is the fastest and largest one yet!
The "Ralphie Handlers" are a team made up of varsity students who are tested on speed and strength throughout the season, as well as trained to care for and handle the buffalo on and off the field. Several of her previous handlers have returned to work for the Ralphie program after graduation, carrying on the over 50-year tradition for Buffs football.
Check out some footage from the 2019 tryouts posted on Ralphie’s official Facebook page:
We think it is great to see Colorado making the top of the list, and just love seeing Ralphie zip across the field at home games. It's easy to get swept up in the excitement and thrill of the game, hearing the crowd yelling “Run Ralphie Run!” If you have never been to a home game and seen the live mascot charging across the field, you should get out to one soon!
Is Ralphie on your list of favorite Colorado college football mascots? Who would you like to see make the top of the list? Let us know in the comments.