For many, retirement comes when their backs ache and motivation wanes. For Ralphie V, it was the opposite.

Toward the end of the 2019 Buffs football season, the healthy 1,200-pound buffalo began to run too fast for her student handlers to keep up. 

CU Boulder athletic director Rick George announced the 13-year-old’s retirement Nov. 12. Fans came in droves to snap one last picture with her at Ralphie’s Corral, the official CU football tailgate, prior to the Nov. 23 game versus Washington. 

As with past Ralphies, she will continue to live on her ranch with a companion buffalo and receive care from the CU Ralphie program, which is fully donor-funded. 

As mascot for 12 seasons, Ralphie V is the second-longest serving Ralphie in school history. 

“Ralphie V had an outstanding career as the face and symbol of our great university and athletic department,” said John Graves (Mgmt’09), manager of the Ralphie program who also ran alongside her as a student handler. “As one of the biggest and fastest Ralphies, her love for running and power was showcased every home game during her career. It’s almost like she knew she was the queen of campus.”

Born in 2006 on Ted Turner’s Vermejo Park Ranch in New Mexico, Ralphie V — whose real name is Blackout — made her game-day debut against Eastern Washington Sept. 6, 2008. 

The Ralphie-running tradition, which started in 1965, has captivated most who’ve seen her barrel across Folsom Field — regardless of their CU affiliation. Her retirement was covered nationally, including by NPR, ESPN, The Washington Post and The New York Times. 

A search for Ralphie VI is underway. 

Photos by Glenn Asakawa

Off

When Bill McCartney was hired as CU’s football coach in 1982, the Buffs had lost 18 in a row to the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

More of our favorite Facebook comments:

Four years later, CU beat Nebraska 20-10 at Folsom Field. The crowd tore down the goal posts.

“I remember they kept the scoreboard lit up for a week,” James Brodie (Engl’83) wrote on Facebook in response to a call for memories of the fall classic.

The Buffs’ win injected new life into the annual matchup, which continued until CU left the Big 12 conference for the Pac-12 in 2010.

On Saturday, Sept. 8, the Buffs travel to Lincoln to resume the old contest at Memorial Stadium. CU will host Nebraska in 2019.

Based on the avalanche of responses to the — more than 1,300 in all, from alumni and friends alike — Buffs Nation is primed and ready.

Hundreds of stories emerged about missed Thanksgiving dinners, snowball fights between fans, Eric Bienemy’s (Soc’01) four fourth-quarter touchdowns and the typically freezing weather.

Here are snippets from some of our favorite anecdotes, as shared on Facebook.

“62-36. My first live football game and went with my new girlfriend. Been married to that beautiful lady for almost 13 years now!”

Charles Jacobs

“In the early ’80s our car wouldn’t start while we were parked at a small shopping center. We were worried about getting to the game and along came a carload of Nebraska Huskers who fixed our car for us — fun day!”

Sherry Holt-Burgos (�ѷ����’82)

“The only way I could get a ticket for the Saturday night nationally televised game in the late ’80s was to work security for the game. It was a very cold night. As the game was winding down I made my way to the sidelines. The game was tied and I was on the Nebraska sideline. Nebraska had the ball in CU territory and set up for a game-winning field goal. As time expired Nebraska’s kick was blocked and the ball rolled my way. Once out of bounds, I picked it up and ran out on the field holding it high.”

David Ward

“Sitting in the hospital holding my newborn daughter while watching CU throttle the Corn 62-36!”

Daryl Eggers Jr.

Register for our Buffs Bash tailgate before the big game at colorado.edu/alumni/football-buffs-bash

Photo courtesy CU Athletics 

Off

Conference on World Affairs 

CU Boulder’s annual Conference on World Affairs turns 70 in April. Founded in 1948 as a way to exchange ideas on central issues of our time, the five-day extravaganza gathers scores of movers and shakers from all quarters for spirited discussions about the state of the world. Nuclear security, artificial intelligence and climate change will get a hearing this year, among dozens of other topics. And if the past is a guide, the lighter side of society will surface, too: Selfies, zombies, video games and Tinder have all had their moment in the sun. For the full 2018 lineup, see colorado.edu/cwa.

Off

Did you happen to spy the black-and-gold cords some graduating seniors wore during commencement in December?

As part of the Forever Buffs initiative, the CU-Boulder Alumni Association began a new tradition by providing “legacy cords” to graduating students whose family members are CU alums. The cords are worn with the student’s graduation gown to recognize his or her family ties to CU.

“The goal of the program is to recognize legacies, especially those of parents and of grandparents,” says Clark Oldroyd (MEdu’75), Alumni Association associate director. 

Students graduating in May who have CU family ties should stop by Koenig Alumni Center at 1202 University Ave. during the two weeks before commencement to receive a free legacy cord. The cords also are available at The Herd’s Senior Sendoff on May 3 at Koenig. The Herd is the student arm of the Alumni Association.

Photo courtesy M. Douglas Wray

Off