CU's 'Ralphie' Named One Of The All-Time Greatest College Mascots
ATHENS, Ga. (CBS4/AP) — Sports Illustrated is celebrating college football's 150th season by ranking the top 10 all-time greatest mascots, and the University of Colorado's 1,200-pound live buffalo named Ralphie made the list.
Ralphie, which is actually a female, is handled by five varsity student-athletes.
"Guiding Ralphie around the field pregame and after halftime is a prestigious honor at Colorado, and the program of handlers has its own coaching staff to ensure student safety," the SI article states.
First practice of the new season last night! Ralphie was excited and had fun running around, the returning Handlers performed expertly, and the new rookie Handlers jumped right into everything they must learn.#GoBuffs #RunRalphieRun #RalphieHandlers #Ralphie pic.twitter.com/BHxGw5kNT3
— Ralphie (@CUBuffsRalphie) August 14, 2019
The magazine included both real and costumed mascots in this week's edition. The University of Georgia's bulldog came in first place, followed by Uga the Duck at the University of Oregon, Mike the tiger at Louisiana State University, Bevo the longhorn bull at the University of Texas and Stanford University's Tree.
Ralphie was No. 6. Rounding out the top 10 are the University of South Carolina's costumed gamecock named Cocky, Western Kentucky University's Big Red, Syracuse University's orange named Otto and University of Tennessee's bluetick coonhound named Smokey.
(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)