Stratton and Behr have cared for her since she was only a few months old and only 125 pounds. A university alumnus connected a bison rancher with CU to become the new mascot after Ralphie VI was abandoned by her mother.

The school’s current mascot, Ralphie VI, is 3 years old. All have been female because they weigh about half the size of male buffalo, which can average upwards of 2,500 pounds. Since the tradition began 57 years ago, the school has kept extensive records and histories on each Ralphie, which are posted on the university’s website. Then, the next year the head coach along with university staff decided she would lead the football team out onto Folsom Field and the tradition was born. She stood on the sidelines and slept in the trailer. In 1966, the father of a CU freshman purchased a six-month-old buffalo calf and donated her to the university. Ralphie handlers running with Ralphie I, who was active from 1966-1978. A lot of them just stand on the sidelines she's out running,” Colton Behr said.Ĭolton Behr and Stratton have a strong connection with Ralphie, who is the sixth live buffalo mascot at CU. “She is, in my opinion, the best live mascot. 'But at the same time, it's a huge adrenaline rush, and it's unlike anything else I could ever imagine.”īehr’s older brother, Colton, was a handler and is now the assistant program manager who has a deep passion for the program. “50,000 people staring at me, watching whatever I do. Braden Behr, a fourth-year handler, likens the experience to just hoping to keep up and not get dragged by a buffalo. The team can reach speeds up to 25 miles per hour. When the gates open, four handlers - two on each side - run with ropes around Folsom Field, aiming to direct Ralphie to her trailer and close the door behind her. The handlers keep her in a small corral on the field until it’s time to run. Running Ralphie onto the field is an all-hands-on-deck effort. “It's one of my favorite times of the year because we're finding our new class of Ralphie handlers who are able to sort of carry on our proud tradition and take this program and continue to elevate it,” Stratton said. The selection process involves physical tests and an interview. Applications are open to any full-time undergraduate or graduate student at the University of Colorado. In 2022, 85 people applied for seven spots on the team. With the unprecedented changes new University of Colorado football coach Deion Sanders has made for the team, Stratton said she expects the excitement to carry over to the Ralphie Live Mascot program.

In August, Stratton expects many people to apply for a spot on her team's roster. 'And so you can't get that anywhere else, that's just here,” she said of the moment handlers run out on Folsom Field with Ralphie, a buffalo and live mascot for the University of Colorado, Boulder (CU). And then the buffalo runs and you get to run out behind her and the crowd goes wild,' Taylor Stratton, the Ralphie Live Mascot program manager. “The crowd is crescendoing up to a huge roar. It’s an early morning workout many Division I college athletes are familiar with, but this one doesn’t involve a ball - instead it requires handling a nearly 1,000-pound animal on stage unlike any other sport. The clink of weights hit the gym floor at 7 a.m. Season 10 of Colorado Experience is set to premiere this September.īOULDER, Colo. This article is part of ongoing reporting and production for a new episode of Colorado Experience.

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