Colorado head coach Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders shared his thoughts on the retirement of Ralphie VI, the Buffaloes’ beloved live mascot, and acknowledged the timing stung. Speaking on the Colorado Football Coaches Show with play-by-play voice Mark Johnson, Sanders said he was disappointed the Buffaloes would not have their traditional Ralphie run at Folsom Field for Friday night’s season opener against Georgia Tech.
“Yeah, Ralphie retired,” said Johnson. Coach Prime interjected: “I think we all saw that coming. Well, we probably did, but I’m hating the point that we are missing a Ralphie for this game. Like, I’m like, right. So you didn’t see that coming?”
Ralphie VI, also known as Ember, had been leading the team onto the field since 2021. Earlier this week, Colorado announced her retirement, citing “an indifference to running.” She will now spend her days on a ranch alongside Ralphie V, who retired in 2019.
Her career was often polarizing. Ralphie VI had been subject to online hate and ridicule from fans from her earliest “runs,” with critics mocking her lack of speed compared to predecessors. Other fans, however, empathized with her plight as a reluctant North American bison pressed into one of college football’s most high-profile mascot roles. However, the Valero Alamo Bowl may have marked the beginning of the end, a lackluster showing that felt like she was simply going through the motions.
I’ve never seen a worse run. On the big stage too? Embarrassing.pic.twitter.com/4fY7OPYSh1
— Matt Sisneros (@Matt_Sisneros) December 29, 2024
Colorado has already begun preparing her successor, Ralphie VII. “Number seven will be here at some point,” said Johnson. Coach Prime added, “So it’s the seven. I don’t believe in luck, but that is a good number.” Johnson then noted the parallel, saying, “Just like we do, somebody graduates or goes to the NFL, we got somebody ready to come in.”
Still, Sanders made it clear what the absence means to him. “I’m hating the point that we are missing a Ralphie for this game,” he repeated, underscoring the tradition’s role in the Buffaloes’ game day identity.
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