Murray State University to Celebrate 50th Anniversary of Iconic Racer One Tradition

As a former Murray State University Racer, I still remember the first time I walked into Richmond Hall and thought, "This is it—I’m basically an adult now!" Little did I know that true adulting wouldn’t hit me until my last year of college when I moved out of the dorms into a one-bedroom apartment and landed my first big-girl job.

Back then, life was pretty carefree: I lived in the dorms, ate at the cafeteria, attended classes for just 15 hours a week, and worked an on-campus job for eight hours. My only responsibilities were laundry and homework. Plus, with the university starting to dabble in online classes, there were even some classes that didn't require on-campus attendance at all. It was glorious!

I had such a blast at Murray and made some lifelong friends. We got involved in everything, and I’ll never forget the football games. Whoever played Dunker, the furry mascot, was always a hoot, and watching Racer One, the real-life horse and jockey, gallop across the track after a touchdown was unforgettable.

The story of Racer One is one of the most unique traditions in college sports. It captures the spirit and enthusiasm of Murray State University in a way that few other schools can match. According to an article by WKMS, Murray’s NPR affiliate, this fun tradition kicked off in 1976. That’s when student jockey Carol Robertson rode a gray mare named Violet Cactus around the track at Roy Stewart Stadium during a game against Southeast Missouri State University. It was just meant to celebrate a touchdown, but it gave way to a 50-year tradition of horse and rider celebrating triumph and that unbridled spirit that Kentucky's so famous for. Today, a flea-bitten grey Thorobred named Vegas holds the title of Racer One.

Here's a quick interview with Emily Helmick, one of the more recent MSU jockeys.

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Now the University is looking for former jockeys to celebrate the 50-year anniversary. They posted the following to Facebook last week:

Last year, we worked on finding the names of as many horses that had served as Racer 1 as we could. We're pretty pleased that we're only missing names for 1985-1988. If we don't count those 4 years, then we've had 17 horses that have served in the position as of 2024.

We've also had 40 different jockeys, which bring us to our next effort!

We are starting to work on a 50th anniversary of the Racer 1 tradition for the fall 2026 football season. We would LOVE to be able to reunite with as many of the former jockeys as we can. Dr. Porr is working with the Alumni Association to try and get contact information for all the previous jockeys, but if you either were a former jockey or you are in contact with one, would you please contact Dr. Porr (270-809-6908 or cporr@murraystate.edu) or have them contact her so she can update their information and send out invitations and information as it becomes available?