CU students lead Ralphie on the field
Fall Saturdays are for football. CU students, alumni and fans all cheer as they watch the football team lead onto the field by Ralphie and the Ralphie handlers.
John Graves, a junior business management major and current Ralphie handler, said he likes leading his school mascot around the field before game time.
“We always get pumped when we bring out the Buffs,” Graves said. “We really like getting the fans ready and pumped for the football team.”
The tradition of having a live buffalo began on Thanksgiving Day of 1934 in the final game of the season. Students paid $25 to rent a buffalo calf and a real cowboy as its keeper during the game. It took the cowboy and four students to keep the buffalo under control during the game. On the debut of the live buffalo, the Buffs beat the University of Denver 7-0 at DU.
“Running the buffalo is being a part of a great tradition,” said Cody Meuli, a junior English education major and current Ralphie handler. “It’s an incredible opportunity to be a part of such a large tradition for not only CU but also for college football.”
Throughout the years the buffalo came and went, but in 1966 Ralphie I became the first consistently running buffalo. This past season Ralphie V was introduced as the new buffalo of the team.
“Ralphie IV is being retired,” said Gail Pederson, the athletic department Ralphie Handler director. “Ralphie V is still a baby and needs more training so students and fans could still see Ralphie IV on the field.”
Being a Ralphie handler is no bull – the hours put in are comparable to having a part-time job along with school.
“We figured it out this past season, and it takes about 20-30 hours a week,” Graves said. “With the trainings, games, pep rallies and everything else, it’s a big commitment.”
The location of where Ralphie is held has been a mystery to the general public. Unless you’re involved in the program, you won’t be able to find out the secret location of Ralphie.
“Head east,” Meuli said. “That’s all I can say. Head towards our rival Nebraska.”
Ralphie and her handlers are always on the move, whether it be to the weekly pep rallies, home games or the occasional away games.
This past December, the handlers were able to take Ralphie to Shreveport, La. to lead the Buffs onto the field when they faced the Alabama Crimson Tide in the PetroSun Independence Bowl.
On the way to the bowl game, Ralphie was the talk of all the truck stops.
“Driving from Colorado to Shreveport, we got recognized at every gas station,” Meuli said. “It’s pretty fun because we get recognized pretty often.”
Overnight trips with a large animal can be difficult. Hotels generally don’t have accommodations for a large Buffalo. While in Shreveport, though, the Ralphie handlers had no problem finding a place for Ralphie to stay.
“There’s so many fans of Ralphie’s everywhere,” Graves said. “There was a lady in Shreveport who volunteered to house Ralphie on her big ranch outside the city. We would go out and take care of her and then we would take her to wherever she was needed.”
Even with the time commitment and occasional travel schedule, many students still want to become a part of the tradition. To do so they must first fill out an application. The application includes a basic survey questions, as well as questions about the applicant’s personality and experience with keeping large animals.
“The applicant needs to have a good personality,” Pederson said. “They’re the forefront of the program and always in the public eye. We also look for someone who has had experience in caring for large animals. It’s not required, but it’s a bonus.”
To find the application and learn more about how to become a Ralphie handler, as well as to learn more about the history of the Ralphie Handlers program go to click here.
Contact Campus Press Staff Writer Philip Fisher at Philip.Fisher@colorado.edu.
