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Texas Tech University put its foot down when it came to fans throwing tortillas.
Red Raiders athletic director Kirby Hocutt and head football coach Joey McGuire said in a news conference Monday that the school “will no longer encourage or allow the throwing of tortillas” during the kickoff of their games. This would put the final nail in the coffin of 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. (AP Photo/Annie Rice)
“We know that as Red Raiders, no one tells us what to do. We make our own decisions,” Hocutt said via ESPN. “This situation is my fault. I tended to throw tortillas at the start of football season. Now I have to ask everyone to stop.”
Texas Tech felt the effects in its win over the Kansas Jayhawks earlier this month.
The Red Raiders were penalized twice for fans throwing tortillas onto the field during kickoffs. The Big 12 Conference attempted to end 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 September 20, 2025. (Rob Gray/Imagn Images)
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If the school violated the Big 12’s amended 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 into the stands.
McGuire expressed his frustrations with the student body last weekend.
“Is this a Red Raider?” he said. “You came to the game and you love this team and you’re passionate about this team, but yet you go and throw another tortilla and you know that’s against the rules?”
A general view of tortillas thrown on the sidelines 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 November 30, 2024. (Michael C. Johnson/Imagn Images)
Texas Tech also can’t afford to lose any more games this season after a surprise loss to Arizona State. The Red Raiders are No. 14 in the nation and will host Oklahoma State in Lubbock next weekend.
