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Old 12-29-2007, 11:31 PM   #1
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Post What’s it all about, Ralphie? Colorado mascot romps at I-Bowl stadium

What’s it all about, Ralphie? Colorado mascot romps at I-Bowl stadium
The story of Ralphie, complete with pictures by Roger Courtney

By: Tom Pace, Executive Editor, SBLive!
December 29th, 2007

“Ralphie’s in the house!” That was the cheer today at Shreveport’s Independence Stadium, as 1,200 pounds of American Buffalo pawed the artificial turf, getting ready for her ‘close-up’ tomorrow night on ESPN.

That’s ‘Ralphie IV’, thank you very much. And, it’s possible, the 10 year-old University of Colorado mascot, might be making her last appearance at a Buffalo game (no less, in Shreveport, Louisiana).

I-Bowl photographer, Roger Courtney took some “candid” shots of Ralphie about 11:30 this Saturday morning, as they backed her trailer up to the field, so she could practice her run around the stadium at the beginning, and, then starting the second-half of the PetroSun Independence Bowl.

You’ll notice me with mike in hand, next to her portable ‘corral’. I was truly “buffaloed” by this experience. She’s a beauty, that Ralphie. I even got a nice pic of her in the trailer…I swear, I think she even smiled for me.

And if you’re wondering about the story of the “Live Buffalo Mascot” at the University of Colorado, read on from the notes of Gail Pederson at C.U.


In 1934, a buffalo first appeared for the final game of the season as a group of students paid $25 to rent a buffalo calf along with a real cowboy. The calf was the son of Killer, a famed bison at Trails End Ranch in Fort Collins. It took the cowboy and four students to keep the calf under control on the sidelines, a 7-0 win at the University of Denver on Thanksgiving Day.

Live buffaloes made appearances at CU games on and off through the 1940s and were cared for by fraternity groups on campus. The first named buffalo was “Mr. Chips,” who appeared for the first time at the 1957 CU Days kickoff rally. Starting with Ralphie I, all buffaloes would be named Ralphie, but each would come to CU with her own personality and nickname.

The initial tradition was for five sophomore class officers to run the buffalo around the stadium in a full loop. They would pick her up and run her for two hours in the morning to tire her a bit to keep her under control by the time the game started. At the conclusion of the run, the fans would break into the “Buffalo Stomp,” which would literally shake the stadium in deafening fashion as the team took the field.

Then, CU head coach Eddie Crowder was approached with the idea of having the charging buffalo run out on the field before the game with the team behind right her. The debut of this great tradition took place on October 28, 1967, CU’s homecoming game against Oklahoma State and the tradition was here to stay. Ralphie attended every CU home football game for 13 years (including all bowls), and retired at the end of the 1978 season.

Thus the Colorado University tradition was continued with a line of successors: RALPHIE II from 1978 to 1987…followed by, RALPHIE III from 1987 to 1998. Now, as Paul Harvey would say,
“Here’s the rest of the story about Ralphie.”


Colorado’s current mascot, Ralphie IV, was donated to CU by media and sports entrepreneur Ted Turner. Born in April 1997 on the Flying D Ranch in Gallatin Gateway, Montana she was nicknamed “Rowdy” by the ranch hands. She was separated from her mother when she was a month old and was found in the jaws of a coyote with bite marks around her neck. Ralphie IV made her debut against CSU at Mile High Stadium in Denver on September 5m 1998. Now full grown and mature, she weighs in at about 1,200 pounds, and just about ready to retire.

In addition to home games, Ralphie IV has appeared at five bowl games, four Big 12 Championships, she traveled to Georgia in 2006 and ran this season at a CU Soccer home game. She will stay an active part of the Ralphie program.

But wait, there’s more. Ralphie V, is waiting in the wings to carry on the tradition in 2008. And, that’s no bull.

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