The buffalo became the official mascot of the University of Colorado in1934. The school newspaper, Silver and Gold, held a three-week contest to give CU a mascot.

The nickname was officially bestowed upon the school's teams at halftime of the Homecoming game against Utah.

For the final game of the '34 season, some students paid $25 to rent a buffalo calf mascot along with a real cowboy as his keeper. It took the cowboy and four students to keep the calf under control on the sidelines, a 7-0 win over the University of Denver on Thanksgiving Day.

The CU logo from the 1940s

Prior to 1934, CU athletic teams usually were referred to as the "Silver and Gold", but other nicknames teams were sometimes called included Silver Helmets, Yellow Jackets, Hornets, Arapahoes, Big Horns, Grizzlies and Frontiersmen.

The campus newspaper announced the contest in the fall of 1934, with a $5 prize to go to the author of the winning selection. Claude Bates of New Madrid, Mo., and James Proffitt of Cincinnati, Ohio, were co-winners for the prize as both submitted Buffaloes as their entry.

Athletic Director Harry Carlson, graduate manager Walter Franklin and Kenneth Bundy of the Silver and Gold were the judges. Through the years, synonyms which quickly came into use included "Bison", "Buffs", "Thundering Herd", "Stampeding Herd", "Golden Avalanche", and "Golden Buffaloes".

The "Ralphie" tradition began October 1, 1966 when Buddy Hays of Boulder's Hidden Valley Ranch first brought a six-month old buffalo calf to Folsom Field.

The '60s-era CU logo

The parade around the then-existing cinder track was relatively inconspicuous. From that time on, the pre-game and second half charges of Ralphie around the perimeter of the playing field (and often through the ranks of visiting teams) has been one of the great spectacles of college athletics.

The University of Colorado has two Buffalo mascots, Ralphie the live buffalo and Chip the human mascot.

Click here to visit Ralphie's Page

Click here to visit Chip's Page