GOLDEN, Colo. - Colorado School of Mines fans will be seeing not one, but two new burros playing Blaster the Burro as Blue Key has identified the university's newest live mascots.

The previous Blaster, who had served since the 1990s, retired over the summer to his ranch near Idaho Springs. That began a search for a new Blaster, and on Aug. 24 Blue Key - the student group that handles Blaster while on campus - joined Mines Cheer, Mines Dance, and members of the Mines administration and athletics to hold tryouts at Marv Kay Stadium to find the right burro for the job.

Two experienced pack racing burros stood out for their love of being around people, showmanship, and of course, the ability to run the field following a Mines Football touchdown. And so for the first time since the adoption of the Blaster name in 1951, two burros will officially become Blaster. Winkie (above, left), a 10 year-old gray small standard burro from Roxborough, Colo., will be the "running" Blaster, seen at football games and the OreCart pull. Pepsi (above, right), a 16 year-old mini brown burro from Arvada, Colo., will be Mines' "social" Blaster, appearing at campus events like Celebration of Mines, Commencement, and Discover Mines. Whichever burro is on campus and on duty will be known as Blaster.

The burro has been a Mines symbol since at least the early 20th century and a live mascot was used off and on starting in the 1930s. The name "Blaster" was coined in 1951 by chemistry professor Robert Baxter after an open contest by the school newspaper. Although there have been multiple burros representing Blaster over the decades, only two have had official tenures. The first was a female burro owned by the Foss family who began attending Mines football games in the 1950s. The most recent Blaster, a racing burro from Idaho Springs, was the second burro to have a lengthy tenure, assuming his role in the 1990s.

The new Blaster will make his debut Sept. 2 at Mines' football opener against Western Oregon.