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Texas Tech University has put its foot down when it comes to fans throwing tortillas.
Red Raiders athletic director Kirby Hocutt and football coach Joey McGuire said Monday in a news conference that the school “will no longer encourage or allow tortilla throwing” on the opening kickoffs of their games. It would put the final nail in the coffin of the school’s informal tradition dating back to the 1990s.
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Texas Tech University 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 tended 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 having their fans throw tortillas on the field during kickoff. The Big 12 Conference tried to curb the tradition when athletic directors voted 15-1 to approve a policy of disciplining local teams for throwing objects on the field.
Texas Tech Red Raiders head coach Joey McGuire talks with Utah Utes coach Kyle Whittingham before the game at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Sept. 20, 2025. (Rob Gray/Imagine Images)
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If a school violates the Big 12’s revised policy, it will receive a warning and a $100,000 fine. Fans can lose their ticket privileges to all sporting events if they are caught throwing tortillas into the stands.
McGuire expressed his frustration with the student body last weekend.
“Is this Red Ryder?” He said. “You come to the game and you love this team and you’re excited about this team, but you’re going to throw another tortilla and you know that’s against the rules?”
A general view of tortillas on the sidelines thrown by the student body of the Texas Tech Red Raiders during the game against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Jones AT&T Stadium and Cody Campbell Field on November 30, 2024. (Michael C. Johnson/Imagine 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 country and will welcome Oklahoma State to Lubbock this weekend.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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