Ralphie the Buffalo is the live mascot of the University of Colorado Buffaloes. Ralphie has been named one of the best live mascots in sports.
The team of "Ralphie Handlers", who are varsity student-athletes, run Ralphie around Folsom Field, the University of Colorado's football field, in a horse shoe pattern before each half of each home game. It traditionally takes five Ralphie Handlers to run her around the field: two up front on each side to steer her around the field, two in the back on each side to help guide her, and one in far back to control her speed, called the "loop" position. The most recent Ralphie has run her first two seasons without the "loop" position. Ralphie can reach speeds of 25 miles per hour (40 km/h). Female bison are used because they are smaller and less aggressive. Whether or not Ralphie runs is at the sole discretion of the Ralphie Live Mascot Program Manager, and her run may be canceled for any reason deemed to be in her best interest.
A buffalo or a bison
While commonly referred to as a buffalo, Ralphie is actually an American bison as no buffalo have ever lived in North America. Bison have the characteristic large humps at their shoulders, long and large heads, and upward growing horns compared to the outward growing horns of the buffalo. Bison are found in North America and Europe while buffalo are native to Africa and Asia.
The team
The Ralphie Handlers are varsity student-athletes who run with Ralphie, take her to appearances, and care for her year round. On an average week during football season, Ralphie Handlers will volunteer 20-30 hours to the program in training, practicing, appearances, and caring for the beloved mascot. In the off-season they still put forth 20 hours a week toward the program, always caring for Ralphie and staying in top shape to be able to run with Ralphie. The handlers have designated sprint workouts and lifts twice a week before classes to be able to handle Ralphie and stay in shape for all Ralphie-related tasks, carrying panels and hay bales, to name a few.
The Ralphie Live Mascot Program is under the direction of Program Manager and Coach Taylor Stratton, Assistant Program Manager, and Coach Colton Behr. Both Stratton and Behr were Ralphie Handlers when they were students at Colorado. They provide the sprint training for Ralphie and her Handlers and provide Ralphie with daily care. The team consists of approximately 15-18 student-athletes made up of both males and females. The Handlers earn a varsity letter each year they are on the team if they fulfill the requirements set out by the coaching staff. Handlers first started earning varsity letters in 1987. Even though the Handlers do not fall under NCAA jurisdiction, the Athletic Department still holds them to the same standards as all other varsity athletes in the department, including minimum GPA requirements, full course load, and other rules. The first female Handler joined the team in 1992. Females have had a strong presence in the program ever since.
Initially, the students who ran with Ralphie were called "The Men Who Run with Ralphie." In 1970 the term for the students changed to Ralphie Runners, as a direct representation of the feat they did with Ralphie at each game. As the team and the program became more formalized and regulated, the term for the students became Ralphie Handlers in the late 1980s. The responsibilities and duties of the students on the team increased from just running with Ralphie to assisting in her overall care and maintenance, the reasoning behind changing their name from Ralphie Runners to Ralphie Handlers.
Ralphie's care
Colorado Athletics and the Ralphie Live Mascot Program are proud of the care and treatment they provide to the bison who serves as Colorado's live mascot. Ralphie receives year-round, daily care from a family of "Ralphie" professionals who understand her needs. While the Ralphie Program demonstrates a positive relationship between humans and buffalo, this relationship has been established through knowledge, training, and experience. Ralphie's "herd" is her care team of coaches and Handlers, who are with her daily, along with another buffalo, her companion.
Ralphie's ranch
She lives on a ranch in an undisclosed location to protect and provide Ralphie with the best living environment. Only current members of the Ralphie Program (coaches, Handlers, and her veterinarians) are permitted to visit the ranch.