Few college football traditions are as quirky—and as unmistakably Texan—as tossing tortillas onto the field at Texas Tech University. It’s a lighthearted, flour-filled ritual that’s been a part of Red Raider game days for decades. And while university and conference officials have spent years trying to rein it in, fans have shown remarkable persistence in keeping the tradition alive.
Now, the Big 12 Conference is making another move to enforce the rules against throwing objects on the field, potentially putting the tortilla toss in the penalty spotlight again.
A Tradition That Took Flight in the Early ’90s
The origins of tortilla tossing date back to the early 1990s. No one knows exactly why it started—some say it was a good-natured nod to West Texas culture, others believe it was simply an easy, harmless way for fans to show spirit. Regardless, the sight of hundreds of tortillas soaring through the air during the opening kickoff quickly became a Red Raider hallmark.
According to campus archives, the fun ended—at least officially—in September 1995. That’s when the Southwest Conference asked Texas Tech officials to enforce an NCAA rule prohibiting objects from being thrown onto the field. In response, the university announced a ban.
But fans weren’t ready to give it up without a fight. One student, Karen Fortner, famously tried to keep the ritual going by handing out 1,400 tortillas in the campus free-speech area “in an effort to keep the three-year, unofficial tortilla-tossing tradition alive.”
The game-day consequences at the time were simple: the first tortilla to hit the turf triggered a timeout; the second earned the Red Raiders a 15-yard penalty.
Crackdowns Through the Years
The early 2000s brought even stricter language. In 2001, a press release from the Texas Tech Athletic Department declared, “…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.”
Despite these repeated warnings, the tradition persisted—just more covertly. Fans snuck tortillas past security in inventive ways, often under jackets, inside purses, or sandwiched in between folded programs. Stadium crews became accustomed to sweeping up stacks of flour disks after games.
For many, tossing tortillas wasn’t about causing trouble; it was about connecting with something uniquely “Tech.”
The Big 12’s New Enforcement Push
Fast-forward to this week: the Big 12 Conference’s athletic directors voted to reinforce the existing game management policy. A post from Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports explained the change:
“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.”
He noted that the new policy will most directly affect Texas Tech:
“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.”
That means tortillas at the opening kickoff are technically still possible—but come with an official warning baked in.
Texas Tech Athletics Director Kirby Hocutt responded with a bit of West Texas humor, posting:
“Red Raiders, the rules can change. But our tradition will not. How about the @UnitedWestTexas Opening Kickoff Tortilla Launch? #15To1“
A Balancing Act Between Spirit and Safety
On the surface, it may seem harmless—after all, tortillas are soft, don’t travel far, and generally cause no injury. But from the perspective of game officials and stadium managers, any object thrown onto the field is a potential safety hazard and a disruption to play.
In addition, the clean-up isn’t trivial. When dozens—or hundreds—of tortillas rain down, stadium crews have to clear the field before play can safely resume. That means stoppages, delays, and frustration for coaches and officials.
The Big 12’s rules are also about consistency. If one school is allowed to toss harmless objects, others might argue for their own traditions, some of which could be far less safe.
Why Fans Hold On
For Texas Tech fans, though, tortilla tossing is more than just an in-game stunt—it’s a piece of Red Raider culture. For alumni, it’s a memory of student days. For current students, it’s a shared moment that kicks off the game with energy. And for visiting teams, it’s a sight they won’t soon forget.
Traditions like these help set the atmosphere and identity of college football. Whether it’s dotting the “i” at Ohio State, waving the wheat at Kansas, or unleashing the tortillas in Lubbock, these rituals are part of what make Saturdays special.
That’s why, despite bans and penalties, the tortillas keep coming. They’re a simple, inexpensive, and unifying symbol—one that’s difficult to replace with an “approved” alternative.
What Happens Next
With the new Big 12 enforcement policy, Red Raider fans will face a choice in the 2025-26 season:
Keep tossing at kickoff and risk burning one of the team’s two allowed warnings early.
Skip the toss entirely to avoid giving the other team a potential field-position advantage if penalties kick in.
Or, as Hocutt hinted, find an officially sanctioned way to keep the tradition alive without violating the rules.
Some fans are already suggesting alternatives, like tossing tortillas in the parking lot during tailgates or creating a coordinated “tortilla wave” in the stands without throwing them onto the field. Others believe the culture of the toss will survive unchanged—it’s simply too ingrained in game-day habits to disappear.
A Tradition at a Crossroads
In the end, the tortilla toss finds itself in familiar territory: officially discouraged, unofficially beloved. The Big 12’s policy doesn’t erase it entirely, but it does make repeat tosses more costly. That could be enough to shift behavior—or it could simply add another chapter to the long history of fans finding ways to keep the tradition going.
Whether you see it as a harmless bit of fun or an unnecessary risk, one thing is certain: the tortilla toss has cemented itself as one of college football’s most recognizable quirks. And in a sport where tradition is king, that’s no small feat.
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