Ripken the Bat Dog, who won fans on fields in Durham, NC State and all over, has died
Ripken the Bat Dog, the endlessly eager black Labrador who charmed fans at Durham Bulls and N.C. State University football games, has unexpectedly died.
The Rainbow Bridge braces itself for its most boisterous crossing.
The O’Donnell family who trained Ripken announced his death Friday due to complications from an undiagnosed medical condition. He was 8 — his namesake’s number for the Baltimore Orioles.
Since 2019, the lightning-fast, floppy-eared Ripken fetched bats at Bulls and Holly Springs Salamanders games, chasing footballs off the tee on the Wolfpack gridiron. He even dropped the puck at Carolina Hurricanes games.
Often, he drew more applause and attention than the teams themselves.
“Ripken was happiest when he was surrounded by people and making friends,” the O’Donnells wrote Friday, “and maybe eating a hot dog or two.”
His final assignment came on Dec. 22, when he retrieved the kicking tee for the Carolina Panthers. The franchise, which has struggled significantly in the last seven seasons, defeated the Arizona Cardinals, 36-30, in overtime.
His legacy also includes a trip to the 2023 Pop-Tarts Bowl, assisting in a marriage proposal at Carter-Finley Stadium, earning a spot as the Grand Marshal in his hometown Christmas parade, and performing the ceremonial puck drop at the Hurricanes “North Carolina” night. Ripken joined the rest of the state’s mascots at the game.
“It was an incredibly humbling experience and representative of exactly how much Ripken meant to the people of his home state,” the O’Donnells added.
Trained by Sit Means Sit Dog Training in Apex, Ripken first took the field for the Salamanders in 2019, when he was 3. The Bulls soon named him official bat dog, and before long he loped onto TV screens nationwide on CBS Evening News.
“I actually sometimes have to apologize to the players, because they’ll ground out to second, and all of a sudden, the crowd just goes crazy,” Michael O’Donnell told the network.
“I don’t know how Ripken does it,” then-Bulls General Manager Chip Allen chimed in. “No saliva on the bat, no teeth marks.”
The news of Ripken’s death spread quickly across social media, with teams he worked with and fans of his presence expressing condolences to his family and sharing memories. Some even asked Kirk Herbstreit, ESPN personality and owner of famous golden retrievers Ben and Peter, to give the local dog a shoutout during his next broadcast.
N.C. State Athletics, the Durham Bulls and Carolina Hurricanes all issued statements in honor of the beloved tee dog.
“Devastated to lose this beloved member of our family,” the athletic department said. “Thank you, Ripken, for bringing so much joy to Wolfpack Nation. You will be missed.”
The Hurricanes replied to the social media post announcing his passing and said, “Stick taps for the goodest boy.”
Lastly, the Durham Bulls called Ripken “the bestest boy” and said the franchise is devastated to hear of his passing.
“He put smiles on so many adoring fans’ faces and will truly be missed,” the Bulls said. “Our thoughts are with the O’Donnell family during this incredibly difficult time.”
Ripken had more than 431,500 followers on social media. Almost 274,000 users followed the dog on TikTok, extending his reach far beyond the Triangle.
“We simply don’t have the words to express our gratitude to everyone who took the time to love on our pup,” the O’Donnells said. “Ripken’s life was truly blessed, and it was all because of you and your love for our sweet boy.”
This story was originally published January 3, 2025 at 1:53 PM with the headline "Ripken the Bat Dog, who won fans on fields in Durham, NC State and all over, has died."
