BOULDER, Colorado — The CU Buffaloes have been parading a buffalo on Folsom Field for every home game since 1967. We asked Taylor Stratton, the manager of the Ralphie program at CU, a mix of questions from students on campus about the more than 50-year-old tradition.
Is Ralphie a boy or a girl?
Stratton: Ralphie has always been a female. The ladies are about half the size and significantly less aggressive. So for safety reasons, and to make our lives easier, Ralphie has always been a female.
Where does Ralphie live?
Stratton: Ralphie actually lives in an undisclosed location. She's on a private ranch where she has some companion buffalo and other animals to keep her company but we don't share specifics on that, because that's her sanctuary where we want her to be safe, and have no one out there to mess with her. They could also get pretty seriously hurt because buffalo can be pretty unpredictable, especially if you're not familiar with them.
What rumors do you hear about where Ralphie lives?
Stratton: My favorite one is that she actually lives underneath Folsom Field, which I tell everybody it's true. So I'm just like, 'No, she definitely does. It's really easy. I just show up. Take this secret Area 51-style elevator down to underneath Folsom and we've got a full synthetic sun for an entire fake pasture we've built.
What's the history of the Ralphie program?
Stratton: The Ralphie live mascot tradition of running out in front of a team started in 1967. So we're over 50 years strong, which is awesome. And we're currently on Ralphie VI and so I've worked with several other buffaloes, I knew Ralphie IV. I ran with Ralphie V and then I located and trained with my team's help Ralphie VI.
How tough is it to find a new Ralphie?
Stratton: It just depends. You have to find the right buffalo. And so it's not something that every buffalo wants to do. It's really important to us to make sure that we have an animal who wants to do this job because it's... think about it... when you're here and you're in Folsom Field, there's 50,000 people cheering for you, there's fireworks, there's flyovers, there's all these kinds of things. The same way that not every person likes that, not every animal is going to be comfortable in that situation. And so we got Ralphie VI as an orphan. A lot of the Ralphies have been orphans because they're more familiar with people, a little bit more comfortable in unique situations. And they feel more confident as you go in and around them.
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