BOULDER, Colo. — Many fans at Colorado football games have noticed something different this season.
Ralphie VI, the live mascot at CU football games, has been making shorter runs than the previous bison who led the football team onto Folsom Field.
Fans have posted on social media asking why Ralphie's runs have been limited to the near 25-yard line as opposed to a long run to the far side of the football field.
In the Buffaloes' first three home games of the 2023 season, Ralphie has also not led the football team onto the field to start each half as has been tradition for decades.
Colorado football beat writer Brian Howell said he asked CU about Ralphie, but the school is declining to comment.
This fall is the 57th season that a buffalo has led the CU football team onto Folsom Field.
The young Ralphie is in the midst of her third football season after making her debut in September 2021. Ralphie VI was given the nickname "Ember" as the result of a fan vote and fundraiser in 2022.
Ember still carries the Ralphie name but, like each of her predecessors, now has a personal nickname as well. Each buffalo after Ralphie I has carried a name that showcases the animal's unique personality.
Ralphie VI was born on May 27, 2020, on a ranch in western Nebraska. An orphan rejected by her mother at birth, she was adopted and raised in part by a beef cow.
Ralphie V, retired after 12 seasons at the end of the 2019 season. CU said Ralphie V is in good health and is enjoying “retirement.”
Previous Ralphie names:
- Ralphie II was born during a lunar eclipse and dubbed "Moon"
- Ralphie III became “Tequila” after her fiery personality
- Ralphie IV was “Rowdy” because of her excitability
- Ralphie V was the darkest calf in the herd called "Blackout"
Ralphie through the years
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