Basketballs to Buffaloes

  • Published
  • By Jeff Walston
  • 917th Wing Public Affairs
Barksdale AFB, La. --  Fact: an adult buffalo can reach speeds up to 25 miles per hour. Almost anything you need to know about a buffalo, on any given day, can be found easy enough on the internet. But, for one Bossier City native, learning that lesson on the internet would have been too easy.

Danielle Morgan has spent the majority of her young life "not" doing things the easy way. As an athlete she trained hard to stay on the top of her game and excelled in soccer, softball and basketball from elementary years all the way through Airline High School and two years at Louisiana State University - Eunice, where she played basketball from 2006-2007. She spent her last year as the captain for the Lady Bengals.

When Danielle completed junior college at LSUE she had acceptance letters from Arizona State, Texas Christian University at Ft. Worth and the University of Colorado.

According to Danielle's father, Lt. Col. (Ret) Charlie Morgan, a former process manager for the 917th Wing, at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., her final choice may have had something to do with her visits to Colorado with him during Air Force Academy reunions. Colonel Morgan graduated USAFA in 1976.

Originally, the plan for Danielle at CU was to concentrate on her studies. Being involved in a sports program wasn't really part of the plan this time around, Colonel Morgan said.

Of course, that was the original plan.

"The first CU football game I came to, right before the game started, I saw the buffalo run out, and I just got so excited," Danielle said. "Honestly I had no idea that happened. I'm from Louisiana and I'd just moved here. But, I knew right then and there, that's something I want to be a part of."

The University of Colorado has one of the most distinctive mascots in all of intercollegiate athletics, a real live buffalo name Ralphie that leads the football team out on the field at both the start of the game and second half.

But, when all is said and done, there would be no Ralphie without Ralphie Handlers, and they are all students.

"It was parent's weekend of her first year when Danielle told us she wanted to be a Ralphie Handler," Colonel Morgan said. "I just thought ... she's fast and personable ... who's going to beat her?"

At the end of her first year Danielle tried out - only one female slot was open.

Over the years Ralphie has become the face of Colorado athletics, and in some ways, a national celebrity. So, being a Ralphie Handler is a privilege that doesn't come easy. There is an application process, an essay, a multi-interview process that concentrates on personal character and a physically demanding tryout. The student applicants must be in peak physical and mental condition. They cannot be scared of animals, and must be comfortable around people as well as animals. They must be fast, strong and quick. And, above all, they must be dedicated.

"I don't think the kids realize what they are getting into when joining the team," said Benny Frei, director for the Ralphie Handler program, CU graduate, and a former handler himself.

"Being a Ralphie Handler is hard," Frei said. "These are good kids who love the university. Every year there is over 40 students who try out, but each time, we can only take a handful."

Danielle Morgan made the cut and was chosen to fill an open slot in the team. With her selection her work had just began.

"Our workouts in the weight room are intense. We do a lot of power lifting and speed drills," Danielle said. "You really have to work hard."

The handlers train like any other athlete. There are strenuous workouts in the gym, lots of 120 yards sprints, and two practices a week, running with Ralphie. That kind of workout schedule takes a lot out of a college student. But, there is a payoff.

"Being in front of all the fans here at Folsom Field is the greatest feeling in the world. It's the coolest thing I've ever done," said Chip Samson, who returned to CU as a graduate student and became a Ralphie Handler for a second time.

"Through all the other wild adventures I've been on, this is the best thing I've ever done in my life," Samson said.

Samson is not the only one who feels that way.

"What's so cool about Ralphie, is what she represents to our athletic teams and to our school and the sense of pride that we have for our mascot ... and this awesome team we have to take care of her," Danielle said. "To run a buffalo around the football field ... how cool as that?"

One of Louisiana's own has moved on to new adventures, rising to the top again, making family and friends left behind proud to call her one of Bossier City and Louisiana's finest.

For Benny Frei, who watches handlers come and go, he's experienced firsthand the excitement of being drug down the sidelines by Ralphie at 25 miles per hour, and he knows it will always be on all of their lists of accomplishments.

"This is one of the greatest college traditions out there and something the handlers should be proud of. They will never forget it," Frei said. "They're all icons who represent the university in the best way!!!"