WATCH: Chris Fowler introduces Ralphie VI, set to make Colorado debut on Friday
One of the best live mascots in sports returns after a 2020 hiatus. But this time, an unfamiliar face will take the field.
Ralphie VI, the newest member of Colorado’s most exclusive sorority (yes, Ralphie is a girl), will run out onto Folsom Field on Friday night as the Buffaloes welcome Northern Colorado to kick off their 2021 season.
Colorado introduced Ralphie VI via an aptly dramatic two-minute video narrated by ESPN’s Chris Fowler. In it, Fowler narrates some of the greatest, most unforgettable moments in the history of Colorado football.
In 1989, Colorado beat then-powerhouse Nebraska 27-21 with the help of “The Pitch.” It was just the third time the Buffaloes beat the Cornhuskers in 28 years.
The following year, Colorado won its first and only national championship after going 11-1-1 and winning a close 10-9 Orange Bowl over Notre Dame.
Four years later in 1994, Colorado running back Rashaan Salaam reached 2,000 rushing yards, a feat that at that time had been accomplished just three times.
The list goes on.
The video is Colorado-specific, but it speaks to the football fan in all of us weaving together themes of family, nostalgia, pride, tradition and magic.
Ralphie’s historic run
“Ralphie Handlers,” a team of varsity athletes that practices and trains together, run the buffalo out on to the field at all Colorado home games. There are five students in total with her during her run: two in the front to steer her, two in the back to guide her, and one in the far back, called the “loop” position, to control her speed. She can reach speeds of up to 25 miles per hour.
Ralphie is a female because they are smaller, less aggressive and easier to handle. She wears a custom-made blanket each gameday with “Go Buffaloes” on one side and “Beat [the opposing team]” on the other. She is held in a secret location so she is not harmed or kidnapped, as she was in 1971.
The Buffalo has been Colorado’s mascot since 1934, and the Student Body Government decided the university needed a live mascot in 1966. Ralphie I attended her first game on Oct. 1, 1966.
New face in Boulder
Ralphie VI is a 15-month-old buffalo that weighs just under 500 pounds. She is the second-youngest buffalo to be chosen as Colorado’s mascot.
Ralphie V retired at the end of the 2019 season after 12 years of service. She did not run in the final three home games because it was deemed unsafe; she is old and began to not follow cues from her handlers. There was no Ralphie in 2020 due to COVID-19 protocols.
Ralphie Program Manager Taylor Stratton spent the last two years finding a replacement buffalo, and settled on Ralphie VI. After several months of training, the team determined she would be ready for the 2021 season.
“It was hard during the pandemic to work with Ralphie, just because we didn’t have the time and there were some things in place that didn’t allow group gatherings and things like that,” said Colorado athletic director Rick George in July, per BuffZone. “We feel good about what [Stratton] has done and her team and I think our fans will be excited.”