Why Is The Colorado University Mascot Named After A Buffalo?

The University of Colorado (CU) has a unique tradition of having a live buffalo mascot named Ralphie, which was officially chosen as the school mascot in 1934. The buffalo was originally named Ralph due to its sound it made while running, but a student pointed out the female anatomy of the animal, so the name was changed to Ralphie. The Buffaloes nickname had become a significant part of the university’s identity, and now, the team has a live Buffalo as their designated mascot.

The first named buffalo was “Mr. Chips”, who appeared for the first time at the 1957 CU Days Kickoff Rally and was cared for by a men’s honorary society. As a CU freshman in 1965, Bill Lowery (Bus ex-’69) was shocked to see a costumed buffalo at Buffs football games instead of the real thing. The University of Colorado Boulder has one of the more unique mascots in all of intercollegiate athletics, a real buffalo named Ralphie.

The buffalo first appeared in 1934, three weeks after a contest to select an official school nickname by the Silver and Gold newspaper had come to an end. For the final game of the 1934 season, a group of students paid $25 to rent a buffalo calf along with a real cowboy as his keeper. Ralphie the Buffalo is the name of the live mascot of the University of Colorado Buffaloes. The current Ralphie, nicknamed Ember, is the sixth bison to fill the position.

Despite popular belief, Ralphie is technically a North American bison. His name is derived from CSU’s old name Colorado Agricultural and Mechanical College. Students officially voted to call themselves “Rams” in 1945, and in 1934, the program was officially given the nickname “the Buffaloes” following a newspaper contest after years of being referred to by other students. Ralphie the Buffalo, who made her Folsom Field debut in September 2021, will take on the nickname “Ember” as the result of a fan vote.