Raleigh has a new dog in town.
Champ, a two-year-old Labrador retriever and younger brother of the late Ripken, has stepped into NC State football’s tradition of fetching kicking tees, ready to bring a familiar face back to the gameday experience.
For many members of the Wolfpack, seeing a Labrador dart across the field to collect kicking tees is as much a part of gameday as the marching band or Tuffy. The tradition began with Ripken, who suddenly passed away at the beginning of this year. Now, Champ, Ripken’s younger brother, takes up the role under the guidance of owner and trainer Michael O’Donnell.
“It was obviously very unexpected, came out of the blue, but [a] very tough loss for me,” O’Donnell said. “Personally, he was a dog that meant the world to me, was my best friend in so many ways, got me back into sports, got me back into a passion that I absolutely loved and was with me at all times, and I don’t think I realized the mark that he left on everyone until he passed.”
O’Donnell said messages poured in from NC State fans, alumni and strangers around the world, each sharing a story, a photo or a simple note of thanks.
“Ripken was really everyone’s dog, and not just mine, which was such an awesome thing,” O’Donnell said. “He was such a great dog, and to be able to share him with the world really was such a cool thing and we’re hoping that Champ gets to do the same.”
While fans mourned Ripken, preparations for the future had started years ago.
“Champ had been practicing this since he was about eight weeks old,” O’Donnell said. “Since the day we got him, we always had the idea that he would be the next in line in case Ripken ever got injured or it was time to retire. We didn’t want the fun to end with just Ripken, and we wanted his legacy to kind of live on, so he was prepared and ready to go. He just had to jump in a lot sooner than we thought.”
O’Donnell said Champ was chosen to be Ripken’s successor instead of his brother Rivers for his outgoing personality.
“We have another dog named Rivers. He was in training to be the next Ripken, but unfortunately, he loves being a pet too much,” O’Donnell said. “He loves to work. He just wasn’t the crowd pleaser like Champ and Ripken are.”
O’Donnell’s dogs advertise his dog training business, All Star Dog Training, which became independent in April after the company had belonged to the Sit Means Sit franchise for years. Champ wears a shirt featuring the brand’s logo — a star with Ripken holding a bat inside.
O’Donnell said it isn’t just athleticism and training that sets his dogs apart. They’re famous for their spunky attitudes that draw millions of viewers across the globe.
“I think it’s a little bit of goofiness, a lot of passion and drive for what they do. They love playing fetch. They love having fun. The louder the crowd gets, the faster they go. It’s like the reward to them,” O’Donnell said. “But I really think just the love for people in general, and loving to be on the main stage and hearing the crowd noise I think really drives them.”
Ripken began as a “bat dog” for the Holly Springs Salamanders and Durham Bulls, later expanding to fetch football tees for the Wolfpack. O’Donnell said he has taken a different approach with Champ, naming him “Champ the Retriever” on social media, now knowing just how many mediums his dogs can reach.
Stepping into Ripken’s role was not without its challenges. O’Donnell said Champ was initially nervous in his first baseball game and lost track of the task at hand after his training staff cheered him on as he ran for the bat.
‘He was like, ‘Oh, you guys want me,’ and so it kind of confused him a little bit, but once he realized that it was time to get the bat, he locked in, and he hasn’t had an issue since then,” O’Donnell said. “I’m curious to see how he does in front of 60,000 [fans at a football game] because that’ll be a big difference.”
O’Donnell said his dogs have touched more than just fans — it’s common for players on the football team to pet his dogs and play with them before games, becoming a pre-game tradition for some players.
“[Football players] would just sit there and love on Ripken before games, and I think it was just that calm before a busy storm during the game,” O’Donnell said. “For them, it was just that sense of quiet right before the game, before it took off. He gave them that sense of peace, and then they were ready to play. And so I think he played a big part in getting players ready for every game.”
Champ’s arrival was also met with enthusiasm behind the scenes. Colin Dailey, director of business development at Wolfpack Sports Properties, has helped guide the transition from Ripken to Champ on gameday.
“They’ve been a great partner,” Dailey said. “They obviously bring a lot to the table, as far as fan interaction, drives a lot of excitement for our fans to connect with such a unique feature that’s not something that is across the board everywhere else. It’s a unique aspect to NC State, and they have done a great job of not only just the tee retrieval on gameday, but also connecting with our fans, like in our fan zone area, being active there.”
Dailey said Champ was vetted prior to the season with NC State baseball games and practice sessions with the football team, revealing a youthful, crowd-pleasing dog.
“We definitely are fully confident in Champ and his abilities to kind of carry the torch,” Dailey said.
Champ won’t be the only dog on the field. Though he will be sharing the sideline with Tuffy III, the Tamaskan dog, NC State’s official live mascot, Dailey sees space for both canines to thrive.
“Champ brings an element to gameday as a fan experience, right? So he can still be beloved and cherished by our fan base,” Dailey said. “ … Tuffy is always going to be a permanent icon, but at the same time, this on the fan engagement side of things can certainly add an element that our fans can enjoy.”
For O’Donnell, seeing Champ on the field is about more than spectacle — it’s a testament to his hard work and a source of pride for his family.
“I absolutely think he’s ready. I mean, when you have a dog like this, we spend a lot of time together,” O’Donnell said. “We work on something every single day. I put a lot of hours, a lot of effort into working with them, and so you got that bond with a dog. It’s fun to watch him work and do what they’re meant to do, and he’s meant to retrieve and have fun, and that’s what he does.”
To Dailey, the retrievers have become an ingrained part of NC State’s gameday identity.
“We have our own very unique traditions here at NC State that our fans get to be part of that culture, embrace that culture and create these traditions alongside NC State,” Dailey said. “And so this is part of that gameday fabric, right? It’s a unique opportunity for us to celebrate NC State and all that we have here.”
