Greg McElroy praises uniqueness of Ralphie the Buffalo

There are few things as unique in college football as Colorado‘s live mascot, Ralphie the Buffalo. Six different Ralphies, who have each been a female bison, have graced Folsom Field for over half a century.

It is that type of tradition that catches the eye of ESPN commentator and analyst Greg McElroy. When naming the 35 reasons he thinks college football is great on a recent episode of Always College Football with Greg McElroy, McElroy named Ralphie, who can reach up to 25 miles per hour during her sprints across the football field leading the Buffaloes out to an ideally raucous crowd, as one of those 35 reasons.

“Ralphie gets its own piece of the pie,” McElory said. “How often are you seeing a buffalo that’s 400 pounds running on the field at 25 miles an hour? To me seems crazy, but it is one of the cooler traditions in college football. I love Ralphie. That’s why she — believe it or not — comes in at number 19. Ralphie, gotta love it.

The current Ralphie in Boulder, Colo., is Ralphie VI. She was born on May 26, 2020, on the ranch of Colorado alum Will Isham north of Chadron, Neb. The Isham family donated the young bison to the Buffaloes, and she inaugurated her reign on Sept. 2, 2021.

Her nickname is Ember.

“The nickname Ember came from, after being abandoned by her mother, Ralphie VI was bottle-fed and raised by a beef cow before being identified as a possible candidate for CU’s next mascot,” the athletic department wrote in the message that announced the nickname. “When a wildfire threatened the ranch where she was staying, Ralphie Handlers jumped to action and brought her to Colorado to begin her training.  Her fiery personality and love for the crowd gives her undeniable flare.”

The previous mascot, Ralphie V, is still alive after serving a long reign from Sept. 6, 2008, to Nov. 23, 2019. Colorado was 39-37 when she ran out on the field.

The first-ever Ralphie, Ralphie I, stood on the sideline of Colorado’s Oct. 1, 1966, game against Kansas State. The average reign is about a decade.

The Colorado live mascot earned a special honor from McElroy, who had named live mascots in general as one of his favorite things about college football.

But he felt the pride of Colorado deserved its own special shoutout compared to the others.