Texas Tech have announced they will ban the tortilla toss, a pre-game ritual that turned kickoffs into bakery launches.
For decades, fans filled Jones AT&T Stadium with flying tortillas, carpeting the field before every home game.
It looked great on television, but not to Big 12 officials who spent years dodging dinner.
Athletic director Kirby Hocutt announced the ban on Monday, standing beside head coach Joey McGuire.
“We are no longer going to encourage nor permit the throwing of tortillas at the opening kickoff,” Hocutt said. He sounded like a man who’d seen one too many flour storms.
Texas Tech ban tortilla toss
Performance, not pastry, drove the decision. Texas Tech sits at No. 14 in the AP Top 25, and Hocutt said the focus must stay on football.
“We have an opportunity and we are on the cusp of a very special football season,” he told reporters. “We cannot risk letting our actions penalize our football team.”
The school learned that lesson the hard way. During their win over Kansas earlier this month, two 15-yard penalties followed tortilla showers.
The fallout included a $25,000 fine — not ideal when your biggest rival is Oklahoma State, not Old El Paso.
The Big 12 then threatened six-figure penalties if the tradition continued. That finally brought an end to Lubbock’s most famous food fight.
Fans lose a favorite fling
Hocutt called for unity, asking fans to keep their energy but leave the tortillas at home. “Give these players and this team all our support,” he said.
He wisely avoided banning Mexican food altogether, a move that likely saved his approval rating in Texas.
Still, the mood around campus is mixed. Students who grew up watching kickoff rain carbs are struggling to let go.
Generations have perfected the toss, learned to smuggle tortillas under jackets, and mastered the art of the midair spin.
Come Saturday against Oklahoma State, the air above Jones Stadium will be clear for the first time in decades.
The tortillas have been benched, but knowing Texas Tech fans, they’re already plotting a comeback recipe.
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