Ralphie the Buffalo has been the University of Colorado's mascot since the 1960s. Each spring, the school holds tryouts to become a handler to run alongside her during home football games.
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The University of Colorado has an unorthodox mascot.
Ralphie the buffalo storms the field at football games.
RACHEL DEMBY (Senior)
If you’ve ever gone to a CU football game, it’s pretty obvious why all of us want to do this. It’s the coolest thing about the football game.
CU students work as Ralphie’s on-field handlers.
JOHN GRAVES (Program Director)
“Not a lot of people have experience running with a buffalo. Yes, we do need someone who is very athletic, strong, and fast, but someone who is very smart and we can teach them the skill and technique that’s needed to run with Ralphie.”
The team consists of 15 student volunteers.
Five handlers run with Ralphie at once.
JOHN GRAVES (Program Director)
It’s a combination of running as fast as they can and holding on to the lead ropes that are attached to Ralphie’s harness and having them pull her along a little bit.
The fastest two run in front.
They control the bison’s direction.
The strongest runs in the back.
They are there to slow Ralphie down.
Two others run alongside to direct her.
JOHN GRAVES (Program Director)
It’s about 250 yards we’re running. The average speed across that distance is about 18, 19 miles per hour. So it is pretty quick. It does take Ralphie a little bit to get up to that speed and she does slow down a bit before she gets in her trailer. So across the middle of the field, when she’s really moving, she’s going pretty fast.
KEANE LYLE (Senior)
It takes a lot more strength, upper body strength, during the run. It’s not just running… You’re up on her, leaning into her shoulder and you’re really leaning in there. You’re like riding with her and running faster than you could without her. It’s so cool.
Jeans are part of the uniform.
SAVANNAH SPAKES (Sophomore)
When I’m on the buffalo, our hats fly off, I don’t think about being in my jeans, we’re in cleats still. So many other things are on my mind that the jeans don’t even register.
The school holds handler tryouts each spring.
RACHEL DEMBY (Senior)
In the new recruits, I just want people with great personalities and obviously people who can handle running with her because it’s hard, she’s fast.
Handlers train up to 30 hours a week.
SAVANNAH SPAKES (Sophomore)
This is so different, we do so much weight room, so much running. We also focus on the actual animal herself and learning about her. It’s like three completely different things all kind of bound up into one big group.
JOHN GRAVES (Program Director)
CU is not an ag school, so we don’t always get a lot of applicants who do have a lot of agricultural background, but “We do take a lot of time in training the Ralphie handlers when they’re on the team of how to work with livestock, how to be comfortable around buffalo specifically.”
RACHEL DEMBY (Senior)
I grew up with cows and cows and bison are a lot different but it helped translate and helped make the transition a lot easier than other people on the team.
The students develop a bond with the bison.
KEANE LYLE (Senior)
I love Ralphie, she’s the greatest mascot and such a personality to hang out with.
SAVANNAH SPAKES (Sophomore)
I’ve been wanting to do this since I was eight years old… It’s been beyond what I wanted, it’s been amazing, the coaches are amazing, the team is amazing, the animal is amazing. It’s been so cool getting to do everything that we do.