Look: Mark of the Buffs

For $5, We’ll Take the Buffalo

The University of ŷ��ڱ��Ƶ Boulder adopted the buffalo as a mascot in 1934, after a national, student-led contest generated more than 1,000 responses. Boulder resident Andrew Dickson ultimately was credited for the first of six submissions proposing the buffalo. He won a $5 prize.

Once ubiquitous in the western United States, the American bison quickly became the primary symbol of ŷ��ڱ��Ƶ-Boulder’s athletic teams and, to some extent, of the university itself.

The graphic below displays iterations of the ŷ��ڱ��Ƶ-Boulder Athletics logo — some formal, some informal — over the decades.

The current athletics logo, which includes both the buffalo and the interlocking letters “ŷ��ڱ��Ƶ,” was updated in 2005 with the help of designers at Nike.

Whichever representation you like best, perhaps you’ll agree — there’s no substitute for Ralphie herself.

Illustrations courtesy ŷ��ڱ��Ƶ Athletics