Emma Morgan makes history as first woman to run at the front with Ralphie the Buffalo

A University of Colorado Boulder senior has broken new ground in one of college football's most distinctive game day rituals. Emma Morgan became the first woman to run in the front position guiding Ralphie the Buffalo onto Folsom Field, reaching the milestone when the Buffs faced the Utah Utes on Oct. 15.

The moment arrives as CU Boulder marks its 150th anniversary this year, while Ralphie's run as a tradition stretches back to 1967. Overseeing it all is Taylor Stratton, program director and head coach of the Ralphie Live Mascot Program, who ran with the buffalo for three years as a student before taking charge of the program in 2020.

Seventeen students currently serve as Ralphie handlers, and every one of them met specific criteria to get there. Stratton said applications open in August and close around the end of October, with hopefuls put through athletic evaluations that include timed running and strict-form pull ups. "There's not a minimum speed necessarily that you have to be to run the Buffalo," Stratton said, explaining that coaches weigh the times, applications and other data points before advancing a subset of candidates to interviews, since handlers also act as ambassadors of the university.

Women first joined the Ralphie team in 1992, and five are part of the program now, Morgan among them. Her connection to the buffalo began long before she enrolled. Growing up in New Castle, she came to CU games and watched her brother and sister run alongside Ralphie, which inspired her to start training toward the same goal.

"I came from a track background. I ran track in high school, so I kind of was familiar with that side of it," Morgan said, describing a buildup of sprint training, weightlifting and upper body work for the pull ups. She made the team as a freshman and embraced a demanding routine: the group practices five days a week, with three of those days spent training directly with Ralphie.

"I think we all love it so much and you can tell everyone on the team worked so hard to get here," Morgan said. "So we all have very similar interests in that way and we work together and always are cheering each other on."

Morgan started out in the back right position, then shifted to the back left. Only after mastering both did she begin preparing for the front, studying film with her coaches and figuring out how her athletic strengths could carry over. "Emma has been the first woman handler who's pretty consistently on this buffalo kind of locked in, done every position really well and then we moved her up front earlier this year," Stratton said.

When she finally ran at the front against Utah, her teammates shared in the moment. "They were so excited for me and my biggest cheerleaders, super grateful for all of them," Morgan said. "I'm very grateful for all the female handlers that came before me to help me get to this place today and I can't wait to see what the future handlers can do too."

The Ralphie Live Mascot Program depends entirely on donor support to care for the buffalo and to cover travel and other team expenses. Stratton said the program currently has a single scholarship fund, with hopes of establishing more to back the students who keep the tradition running.