Tortilla tossing during football games is a game day ritual that began in the early 1990s and, despite efforts to enforce rules against it, still lives on at Texas Tech University.
This week, the Big 12 conference voted to reinforce an existing game management policy prohibiting items from being thrown onto the playing field, a rule that could jeopardize the Texas Tech tradition.
A post on X from Ross Dellenger, writer for Yahoo Sports on Thursday, said, “Big 12 ADs this week voted, 15-1, to solidify an existing game management policy related to the throwing of items onto the playing surface, sources tell @YahooSports. A team will receive warnings for the first two violations in a game before 15-yard penalties could begin.”
Dellenger went on to say, “The move most impacts Texas Tech, whose fans hold a tradition of tossing tortillas onto the field, most notably during opening kickoff. The policy will allow for tortillas to be thrown at opening kickoff but will result in a warning. A third incident may result in a penalty.”
Kirby Hocutt, Director of Texas Tech Athletics also took to X, saying “Red Raiders, the rules can change. But our tradition will not. How about the @UnitedWestTexas Opening Kickoff Tortilla Launch? #15To1”
Tortilla tossing through the years
Tortilla tossing was officially banned at Red Raider games in September 1995 after the Southwest Conference asked Texas Tech officials to enforce an NCAA rule prohibiting throwing objects onto the playing field, according to an article from The University Daily (now the Daily Toreador).
Opinions on the ban were mixed. One student, Karen Fortner, even fought to save the tradition, passing out 1,400 tortillas in the campus free-speech area, “in an effort to keep the three-year, unofficial tortilla-tossing tradition alive.”
At the time, the consequences during games were straightforward: the first time a tortilla hit the field, a timeout would be called. The second time, Texas Tech would be penalized 15 yards.
In 2001, a press release addressed sportsmanship issues, stating “…the Texas Tech Athletic Department will enforce a no-tolerance policy in regards to throwing objects from the stands onto the playing surface or sidelines at home football games.”
Still, the tradition persists. Fans continue to find creative ways to sneak tortillas into games, leaving stadium crews to clean them up afterward.
What will the Big 12’s new enforcement mean for Red Raider fans? With the 2025-26 football season coming up, time will tell.
