Move over Ralphie. The Colorado football team has adopted a 5-foot inflatable monkey as it’s unofficial mascot.
A group of players including Tyler Hansen, Scotty McKnight, Ray Polk, Aric Goodman, Luke Walters, Kyle Cefalo and Jordan Marquez won a boatload of prize tickets during a recent team trip to Boondocks Fun Center. The tickets allowed them to select a prize and they chose the monkey, which is wearing a graduation cap.
Players inflated the monkey and brought it back to the Dal Ward Center where it has since found a home in the Buffs locker room. It has been given its own locker complete with a nameplate at the top reading “Monkey.”
Players have stocked the monkey’s locker with bananas and gave the monkey its own goal book. Pictures of more bananas have since appeared in the goal book.
The Buffs had position and team pictures taken between practices Saturday at Folsom Field. During the team photo a roar went up when it was suggested that the monkey be included in the photo. After senior quarterback Cody Hawkins retrieved the monkey from the locker room, coach Dan Hawkins allowed one picture to be taken with it and one without.
