Buffalo Phil gears up for the Buffs’ season opener

Phil Caragol, AKA Buffalo Phil, has been energizing fans at every home game for the past 15 years, and he’s gearing up for the new season.

Phil dons a customized Viking helmet, wears a CU Buff-themed lei, and adorns himself in face and beard paint in the team’s colors.

“I do a kind of a checkerboard. I use yellow and black mascara and it’s about a two and a half hour bathroom takeover to put the uniform together before I go to games,” he said.

Caragol is a CU alum, having attended the university in the 1970s, and has long supported the team. 15 years ago he moved back to the area from San Francisco, with a parting gift from a friend from California — a Viking helmet.

At the first home game after he moved back, he got the idea for Buffalo Phil.

“I sat in the stands and boy, the team was not very good. And there were all these long faces and nobody was cheering. And then the light bulb went off. Now I know what to do with this helmet,” he said.

“So the next game, I came back and I sat in the stands and I talked myself into walking down in front of all of the fans and getting them to cheer on defense. And a few people stood up, then 10 people stood up, and now hundreds of people stand up.”

“When I walk into the stadium, it’s a love fest. The students surround me, and there’s hugs and high-fives.  I love the little Buffs who come to the game and I high-five them, and I dunno, over the course of a game, there’s probably 200 to 300 fan photos taken with me,” said Caragol.

Excited for the new season, Caragol says it’s been an incredibly meaningful experience to connect with so many like-minded fans.

“It’s just one of those rare events in your life where the whole community of people come together… 50,000 of them who are all on the same page and have the same spirit. It’s rare and it’s amazing.”

Fans can catch Buffalo Phil at Folsom Field on Friday night, and at every home game.

“ I run up and down stairs. I would say probably, look for me when CU is on defense, because I’ll be standing directly opposite the line and on the base level of the stadium. And I also spend a lot of time in the horseshoe, in the student section that’s in the south end of the stadium. But if you go to the game, it is more than likely  you’re gonna see me close up.”

Phil Caragol has written about his experiences as Buffalo Phil, and shares other stories of his life in his new book The Blunder Years: A Boyhood Memoir. He’ll be speaking about the book at the Boulder Bookstore on October 22.