Samantha Chaffin

Editor-in-Chief

Bristol, the tee-fetchin’ border collie we know and love, returned to the field in Holt Arena last Saturday, Sept. 13 for ISU’s home opener against Chadron State.

Bristol attends all home football games and fetches the tee after kickoff.

He can be seen sporting his own jersey donning the number “one” as he darts onto the field from the care of owner Dr. Caroline Faure, an associate professor in the Department of Sport Science and Physical Education as well as the Director of the Center for Sports Concussion at ISU.

Saturday’s game was the start of Bristol’s fourth season fetching tees for the Bengals and Faure said it was Bristol’s best opening day yet.

“When Coach [Mike] Kramer came in four years ago, he told me, he said ‘We’ve gotta get Bristol ready for seven tee-retrievals a game’ and today we had seven,” said Faure. “It’s kind of a thing where if we can get seven a game, we know we’re gonna win and tonight we squeezed one out and he got seven. It was a good warm up for him for homecoming and if we can keep getting him on the field seven times a game, the Bengals are gonna keep winning.”

This was the first year Faure didn’t bring Bristol to the dome to practice pre-season but he remembered exactly what he was there to do.

“He is such an intelligent dog and he’s so game savvy,” said Faure. “It’s hard for people to understand what I mean by that but you just watch him during a game and he understands the game. He knows who he’s cheering for, he knows what team he’s on and he knows what he’s supposed to do. He is here to work and his job is to get that tee and nothing is gonna get in his way.”

Bristol even had Faure running onto the field during his fifth tee-retrieval as she thought he was hurt. She said she thinks his arm may have just gotten caught in his jersey.

“He kind of scared mom a little bit. He just kind of looked at me with his elbow up like, ‘Uh-oh mom, I’m hurt.’ But he was okay and I let him go out for number six and he was doing pretty good. He was tired, though, it’s a hot day down here. Lots of retrievals and it’s warm in the dome.”

In addition to being back in the game, Bristol also has a fairly new role at home with the Spring addition of his canine sister Pocono, Pokie for short.

Pokie is Faure and her husband’s new border collie who is being geared up to eventually join Bristol on the field by the 2015 season.

In the meantime, Faure said we’ll see Pokie for a couple of games this season to introduce her and get her used to the environment. One of those games will be homecoming.

“She’ll wear number two on her uniform and it’s going to be ready for homecoming,” said Faure. “Both her and Bristol are rolling out their new duds just like the Bengals on homecoming.” 

Be there to see Bristol, alongside his new sister Pokie, back in action for the second time this season on Saturday, Sept. 27 at 2:05 p.m.

The Bengals take on Sacramento State in Holt Arena.