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It goes without saying that we all love to watch our teams take home a big win, but even when the Broncos start the season 1-2, the face of the Rockies retires, and the Avalanche lose game six to the Dallas Stars in double overtime, there’s still something that keeps us crawling back to the stadium for more.
Whether it’s belting out a pop-punk anthem, watching a 1,000-pound mascot charge across the field, or standing ’til our feet are sore, partaking in beloved gameday traditions are half the fun—sometimes more, depending on the score. Below, we break down the backstory of seven sacred Centennial State sports traditions.
1. Ralphie’s Run at the University of Colorado
This rowdy ritual was voted the best college gameday tradition by Axios readers in August 2023, and if you’ve ever witnessed it firsthand, you know why. Before each University of Colorado home game (pending weather conditions), the Buffaloes’ live mascot—a 1,000-pound bison named Ralphie (this one is the VI)—tears across the field in a horseshoe pattern. She is always flanked by student athletes (fondly known as Ralphie Handlers), who always seem to lose their cowboy hats in the hubbub.
To put it bluntly, it’s badass, and the tradition stretches all the way back to 1967. The OG Ralphie was actually a gift, donated to the school in 1966 by freshman class officer (the ’60s version of student government) Bill Lowery’s father. At the outset, Ralphie kept a low profile on the sidelines of Folsom Field, silently spurring the Buffs to victory. But that same year, head football coach Eddie Crowder was approached with a more dramatic idea: What if Ralphie charged out onto the field in front of the team?
Naturally, the pitch had to be tested, and on September 16, 1967, she (Ralphie is always a girl), sprinted across the turf alongside sophomore class officers to thunderous applause. CU beat Baylor 27-7 that day, and Ralphie’s Run became something of an instant good luck charm. The tradition has remained intact—through a split national championship and a 1-11 season—although CU administrators decided it would probably be a better idea to have students trained in large-animal handling escort Ralphie, rather than a couple of random sophomores.
2. The Colorado Avalanche Anthem: “All The Small Things”
To be fair, millennials would probably belt out this Blink-182 banger if it were played in the middle of a shopping mall, but it’s even more electric when 18,000 Avalanche fans are singing it together in Ball Arena. Much like the Broncos’ IN-COM-PLETE chant, the tradition of scream-singing this 2000 pop-punk anthem during Avs games was unintentional—and a relatively recent phenomenon. Craig Turney, better known as DJ Triple T among Avs faithful, heard the throwback song on the radio in fall 2019 and decided to add it to the playlist for home games. “You don’t even have to like rock, that song is just one of those feel-good universal tunes that you can’t help but sing along to,” Turney told NHL.com.
And they couldn’t. When the song blared through the Ball Arena speakers for the first time during a pause in play, Turney noticed that some of the crowd kept singing even after the music faded and play resumed. He knew he had something. Then, it became all about timing—finding the sweet spot during the game to deploy the song. That magic moment is often midway through the third period, usually when the Avs are up and the crowd can really let loose. For just a minute, Ball Arena transforms into a Warped Tour concert, and even when the puck drops, the singing continues.
That’s the goosebump-inducing part: when the music stops and the fans rattle the rafters with, “Say it ain’t so, I will not go.” The refs have even had to delay the puck drop once because the singing was so earsplitting. The song has become such a signature to the franchise that Blink-182 frontman Mark Hoppus himself led the crowd in an unforgettable singalong of “All the Small Things” at the 2022 Avalanche home opener while the team hoisted up its championship banner.
3. Denver Broncos IN-COM-PLETE Chant
Some of the most clung-to gameday rites are the ones that start unintentionally. Such is the case for the Denver Broncos’ IN-COM-PLETE chant. The diss originated in 1996 when the Broncos were on a hot streak (remember those?). Denver was squaring up against the Kansas City Chiefs on a chilly October Sunday and had taken a commanding lead going into the third quarter. Down by three touchdowns, the Chiefs needed to change strategies, and they were hoping quarterback Steve Bono’s arm might rescue their lackluster run game.
But even hope can’t turn Steve Bono into Peyton Manning. Pass after pass, Bono failed to find a receiver, and the Broncos public address announcer Alan Cass fell into a hypnotizing incantation. It wasn’t a zealous scream, but rather a succinct statement delivered with gusto after each unsuccessful attempt: “That pass was IN-COM-PLETE.” Cass parroted the phrase nine plays in a row, and eventually, without prompting, the fans joined the chorus.
From there, the dig took on a life of its own, ringing out at Mile High after every pass incompletion, eventually buttressed by stadium graphics and sound effects. The Broncos claim the tradition got so rambunctious that the NFL even asked the organization to stop leading the chant. “We aren’t,” the announcers replied, “the fans are.” So although not everyone seems to love this snub, don’t expect it to be squashed anytime soon.
4. Charlie Blackmon’s Walk-Up Song
Right fielder Charlie Blackmon isn’t one for change. He’s been a constant on the Rockies’ roster for 14 seasons; his beloved beard seems to be a permanent facial feature; and his walk-up song—“Your Love” by the Outfield—has been the same since he was at Georgia Tech. “It didn’t catch on in college,” Blackmon told Mlbplayers.com, “but I stuck with the song because it worked for me and I liked it.”
While Blackmon strolls up to home plate, “Josie’s on a vacation far away” croons out over Coors Field, and just as the music stops at 15 seconds, the crowd picks up the lyrics, yelling “TONIIIIIGHT.” There’s really no telling why Blackmon’s walk-up song has morphed into a tradition for the masses (although it is a little bit easier to sing than Kris Bryant’s “Tequila Shots”), but you might want to sing it extra loud these last few games for old-time’s sake: Blackmon announced he’s retiring at the end of the season.
5. Firing the Cannon at Colorado State University
This storied CSU football tradition might scare the jersey right off of you, if you don’t know it’s coming. During every home game national anthem, after every touchdown and field goal, and at the end of every winning game, ROTC cadets at CSU fire off “Comatose,” a 1918 French 75mm field gun (aka a cannon). This noisy custom isn’t just intended to blow out the eardrums of CSU’s opponents—although that’s a bonus—it’s actually an explosive ode to the school’s origins as the state’s land-grant institution.
The Morrill Act of 1862 led to the advent of land-grant institutions, including CSU, and required all schools to offer mandatory military training to all males. In 1916, CSU (then the Colorado Agricultural College) created an artillery-focused ROTC unit in Fort Collins. Conveniently, Colorado Field sat right across the street from the college’s Military Science Complex, making it the perfect place to conduct artillery practice.
The tradition of setting off the cannon at home games began four years later in 1920—although it wasn’t the “Comatose” that rings out today. The university went through a rotating cast of cannons throughout the years—and even had to send its cannon back to the Army in 1945 when the government recalled all guns from college campuses to be used in World War II. The Army made up for it 1952 when it gifted CSU with its very own French 75 to keep: Comatose. Today, this 20th-century gun signals the start of a different kind of battle and reminds fans of the school’s unbreakable ties to the armed forces.
6. Blaster the Burro at Colorado School of Mines
Although not as fearsome as Ralphie, Blaster the miniature burro is just as beloved among Colorado college football fans. The endearing donkey runs out to the 50-yard line after every touchdown (which is pretty often thanks to the Orediggers’ recent dominance) led by members of the Blue Key Honor Society, who care for him throughout the year. He’s also a regular at other school events like the homecoming parade, commencement, and the annual ore cart pull.
The pertinacious pack animal has been a Mines symbol since the early 20th century because the species was an integral part of the Colorado mining industry. But it wasn’t until 1951 that a chemistry professor bestowed the name “Blaster” on the mascot. The first equine to officially hold this title was a female burro owned by Frederick “Heinie” Foss, who later earned the moniker “Mr. Golden.” Foss would stroll down North Ford Street with his burro to attend Mines football games, and it wasn’t long before one man’s routine became a school-wide tradition.
If you’re lucky enough to meet the current mascot, you might notice that the burro’s color changes. That’s because Blaster is actually Blasters: Two donkeys currently represent the School of Mines. Winkie, a petite gray standard burro, runs at all the football games while Pepsi, a mini brown burro, handles all the social appearances.
7. Air Force Academy & CU: The 45-Year Freeze
Most college football rivalries are nothing more than cheeky jabs and Busch-fueled jeers, but at CU Boulder in 1973, it was much deeper. The Air Force Academy Falcons were playing the Buffs at Folsom Field as the Vietnam War was coming to a close—and the cadets didn’t exactly get a hero’s welcome.
Boulder was a hotbed for anti-war protests, and the battle on the gridiron between football teams spiraled into a clash of ideologies. Buffs fans tore the cadets’ uniforms, hurled eggs and cans of beers at Air Force administrators, and even overturned cars, the Colorado Springs Gazette reported. Tensions reached a fever pitch when a serious fight broke out on the field, and Air Force brass was so insulted by the mistreatment that administrators didn’t renew the series after the teams’ final matchup in Colorado Springs in 1974.
Before the incident, CU and Air Force played every year—save for one—from 1958 to 1974. But the wounds from this matchup took much longer to fade than a black eye from a barroom brawl. The teams didn’t face off again for 45 years.
While CU Boulder claims to have extended a few olive branches throughout the years, Air Force had little interest in reviving the rivalry—that is until 2019. Whether due to a changing guard, a desire to stay relevant with Colorado football fans, or by letting bygones be bygones, Air Force agreed to play CU in Boulder in 2019 and again in 2022. And they made sure to walk away with nothing but dubs.
