Texas Tech eliminates tortilla tradition before next home football game
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Texas Tech University put its foot down when it came to tortilla-throwing fans.
Red Raiders athletic director Kirby Hocutt and football coach Joey McGuire said at a news conference Monday that the school will “no longer encourage or allow tortilla tossing” at the start of its games. It would be the final nail in the coffin for the school’s unofficial tradition that dates back to the 1990s.
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Texas Tech students throw tortillas before the NCAA college football game against Kansas, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025, in Lubbock, Texas. (Annie Rice/AP Photo)
“We know that as the Red Raiders, no one tells us what to do. We make our own decisions,” Hocutt said, via ESPN. “This situation is on me. I was inclined to throw tortillas at the beginning of the football season. Now I have to ask everyone to stop.”
Texas Tech felt the effects during its win over the Kansas Jayhawks earlier this month.
The Red Raiders were penalized twice for their fans throwing tortillas onto the field during kickoffs. The Big 12 Conference attempted to curb the tradition when athletic directors voted 15-1 to approve a policy to discipline home teams for throwing objects on the field.
Texas Tech Red Raiders head coach Joey McGuire talks with Utah Utes head coach Kyle Whittingham before the game at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Sept. 20, 2025. (Rob Gray/Image Images)
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If the school violated the amended Big 12 policy, it would receive a warning and a $100,000 fine. Fans could lose their ticket privileges to all sporting events if they are caught throwing tortillas in the stands.
McGuire expressed his frustration with the student body last weekend.
“Is that a Red Raider?” said. “You came to the game and you love this team and you’re passionate about this team, but you’re still going to throw another tortilla and you know it’s against the rules?”
A general view of the sideline tortillas thrown by the Texas Tech Red Raiders student body during the game against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Jones AT&T Stadium and Cody Campbell Field on Nov. 30, 2024. (Michael C. Johnson/Image Images)
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Texas Tech also can’t afford to lose any more games this season after an upset loss to Arizona State. The Red Raiders are ranked 14th in the nation and will welcome Oklahoma State to Lubbock next weekend.
The News contributed to this report.
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Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor at News Digital.