Photo by: CMU ATHLETICS
Toilet Paper Toss: A CMU Tradition
1/12/2023 6:43:00 PM | General, Men's Basketball, Our Stories
A history of Central Michigan’s Toilet Paper Toss tradition; excerpts from stories written about the Toilet Paper Toss.
Information and photos courtesy of CMU's Clarke Historical Library
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich.—Central Michigan will celebrate its 40th anniversary of the first Toilet Paper Toss game in school history on Saturday, Jan. 28 when the Chippewas men's basketball team plays host to Western Michigan at McGuirk Arena. Tipoff is at 7 p.m.
The Toilet Paper Toss tradition began at Central Michigan during the 1982-83 basketball season with the first event occurring in early February 1983. The fad was short-lived but was brought back in 1986 by the athletic department. An iconic photograph during the Feb. 18, 1987, game against Western Michigan, taken by CMU photographer Peggy Brisbane, was published in People Magazine.
Following CMU's first basket of each game, Chippewas fans would simultaneously throw toilet paper onto the floor. At times, CMU was called for a technical foul following the barrage, giving the visiting team two free throws and possession of the ball. Throughout the last 40 years, the tradition has been halted and brought back several times by CMU's athletic department.
On February 9, 2004, the tradition was brought back to celebrate Central Michigan's 100th season of men's basketball.
Below are some interesting excerpts from several stories written about Central Michigan's Toilet Paper Toss through the years:
Excerpts from Toilet Paper Toss Makes a Mess, by Frank Boles, Clarke Historical Library, March 9, 2021
In 1986, the toilet paper toss was back, and the toss was garnering the school lots of good publicity. Dave Keilitz, who had become Athletic Director in 1984, was quoted in Central Michigan Life on Feb. 13, 1987: "It's something which is unique. Right now, it's a novel type of thing," Keilitz said. "We have great, great fans. We don't want to dampen their enthusiasm at all. If everybody were to let fly with one initial barrage after the first bucket, it's no problem," Keilitz added. "What has happened in the last two games is it keeps coming."
The reporter and the CMU basketball coach agreed, "the toilet paper toss," wrote the reporter "has become something for Chippewa fans to be proud of. As CMU head basketball coach Charlie Coles has said, "it's something we do better than anyone else in the country."
The event did lead to some peculiar problems. So many rolls disappeared from the residence halls, that the front desk suddenly had sign-up sheets tracking every request for a roll of toilet paper, and resident hall staff noted how often certain rooms seemed to need new rolls just before or after a basketball game. If penny-pinching administrators could track the use of toilet paper in a residence hall, students quickly realized there were still plenty of toilet paper in public restrooms. Game day, the restrooms were in the Rose Arena suddenly had no toilet paper, with the same shortage happening in the bathrooms of the academic buildings. Students were quite enterprising when it came to finding free rolls of toilet paper, but if their hard work failed, local grocery stores usually had toilet paper on sale right before each game day.
Other MAC schools did not share CMU's enthusiasm for the activity. On Dec. 14, 1987, CM Life reported that the MAC adopted a new rule, specifically aimed at CMU. "All MAC institutions shall take steps to prohibit the throwing of any articles onto the floor during basketball games ..." The MAC cited safety concerns, and CMU did concede several pairs of glasses had been broken by flying "debris." It is probably worth noting that the new rule was adopted unanimously by the MAC, meaning CMU's representatives also voted for it.
The Dec. 14, 1987 student newspaper went on to report that "Beginning Thursday, CMU officials are planning to halt the toilet paper-throwing ritual at Chippewa basketball games." Since everyone knew simply asking students to stop would prove insufficient, "All rolls of tissue will be confiscated at the door. Any person who smuggles the toilet paper into Rose and tosses it will be escorted from the arena."
If it was 1982 all over again inside Rose Arena, this time the afterglow is still fondly remembered by many to this day. As Dave Keilitz summed it up, "It was good while it lasted."
Excerpts from College Basketball Roundup, by Morin Bishop, Sports Illustrated, Jan. 11, 1988
Paper Rollback
When Central Michigan scores its first field goal of a home game, its fans customarily pelt the court with toilet paper. A lot of toilet paper. Sports information director Fred Stabley estimates that between 3,000 and 4,500 rolls of toilet paper are usually thrown, causing an instant blizzard that brings the game to a grinding halt. The maintenance staff has the cleanup procedure down to a science; it removes the debris in a matter of three or four minutes.
But before this season the Mid-American Conference passed a new regulation, widely known as the Central Michigan Rule, mandating another five-minute warmup period for both teams after the cleanup. And to discourage the fans from such behavior altogether, the conference warned the Chippewas' athletic director, Dave Keilitz, that continuation of the toilet-paper tradition could result in a technical foul being assessed against the home team.
The true test of the new edict will come on Jan. 13, when Central Michigan plays Cleveland State in its first home game with school back in session. "We'll have baskets at the gate for the kids to throw their toilet paper in," says Stabley. "But there won't be any frisking. It's basically an honor system."
Excerpts from Central Stays Unbeaten at Home, by Ken McDonald, CM Life, Feb. 13, 1987
Fans shouldn't let tossing of tissue become out of hand.
Joe Falls came to CMU Wednesday. And the Detroit News sports editor and columnist had one thing on his mind. He wanted to throw some toilet paper. Falls had heard of the phenomenon that has swept Rose Arena. So, when he began emptying his briefcase, he pulled out a portable computer, some paper and pens and, yes, a roll of toilet paper. After Traverse City junior Dan Majerle poured in the Chippewas' first basket, streams of toilet paper came flying onto the court. And, yea, Joe Falls tossed his roll high into the air.
Thanks to writers like Falls, and photos that have appeared in various papers, news of the toilet paper tossing has blanketed the state. And so far, all the publicity has been positive.
Excerpts from Shaping Memories Through Three Lenses, by Frank Boles, Clarke Historical Library News and Notes, Nov. 7, 2019
Peggy Brisbane told one story of one of CMU's most iconic photos: the toilet paper toss that once was a part of every CMU home basketball game. For reasons that were never quite clear, in 1986 students began to toss rolls of toilet paper into the air when a member of the CMU basketball team made the team's first basket. Thousands of rolls of toilet paper would go flying – so many that local stores had toilet paper sales on the day of home basketball games. Janitors also noticed that bathrooms in the residence halls and other CMU buildings were emptied of toilet paper in the hours before the game.
Sports Illustrated picked up Peggy's picture of the toilet paper toss and ran it in a small corner of the magazine. Without telling Peggy, a student submitted an article about the toilet paper toss to People Magazine. People's editor loved the story, but also wanted a picture. Peggy filled out a standard PR request from the magazine for the image with little thought. She was shocked when the picture ran across two pages in the magazine.
The student who submitted the article received a small stipend from People, and sheepishly asked Peggy if he should share it with her. Peggy responded that taking the picture was her job – and she was quite happy with settling for "merely" a by-line in a national magazine. The "tradition" came to an end in 1987 when frustrated basketball officials decided that the 10-15 minutes needed to clean up the mess on the court constituted a "delay of game," and began to assess CMU a technical foul for the behavior of its fans.
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich.—Central Michigan will celebrate its 40th anniversary of the first Toilet Paper Toss game in school history on Saturday, Jan. 28 when the Chippewas men's basketball team plays host to Western Michigan at McGuirk Arena. Tipoff is at 7 p.m.
The Toilet Paper Toss tradition began at Central Michigan during the 1982-83 basketball season with the first event occurring in early February 1983. The fad was short-lived but was brought back in 1986 by the athletic department. An iconic photograph during the Feb. 18, 1987, game against Western Michigan, taken by CMU photographer Peggy Brisbane, was published in People Magazine.
Following CMU's first basket of each game, Chippewas fans would simultaneously throw toilet paper onto the floor. At times, CMU was called for a technical foul following the barrage, giving the visiting team two free throws and possession of the ball. Throughout the last 40 years, the tradition has been halted and brought back several times by CMU's athletic department.
On February 9, 2004, the tradition was brought back to celebrate Central Michigan's 100th season of men's basketball.
Come be a part of history!
— CMU Athletics (@CMUAthletics) January 12, 2023
⚪ Toilet Paper Toss/White Out Game ⚪
📆 Saturday, Jan. 28 (7 p.m.)
🎟️ https://t.co/4W8T37mXxG
General Admission Tickets: 40% off
- Adults: $9
- Senior/Youth: $7
- Group of 10+: $3/ticket
📰 https://t.co/A0JZUJkW0P#FireUpChips🔥⬆️🏀 pic.twitter.com/AEu0M9npWp
Below are some interesting excerpts from several stories written about Central Michigan's Toilet Paper Toss through the years:
Excerpts from Toilet Paper Toss Makes a Mess, by Frank Boles, Clarke Historical Library, March 9, 2021
In 1986, the toilet paper toss was back, and the toss was garnering the school lots of good publicity. Dave Keilitz, who had become Athletic Director in 1984, was quoted in Central Michigan Life on Feb. 13, 1987: "It's something which is unique. Right now, it's a novel type of thing," Keilitz said. "We have great, great fans. We don't want to dampen their enthusiasm at all. If everybody were to let fly with one initial barrage after the first bucket, it's no problem," Keilitz added. "What has happened in the last two games is it keeps coming."
The reporter and the CMU basketball coach agreed, "the toilet paper toss," wrote the reporter "has become something for Chippewa fans to be proud of. As CMU head basketball coach Charlie Coles has said, "it's something we do better than anyone else in the country."
The event did lead to some peculiar problems. So many rolls disappeared from the residence halls, that the front desk suddenly had sign-up sheets tracking every request for a roll of toilet paper, and resident hall staff noted how often certain rooms seemed to need new rolls just before or after a basketball game. If penny-pinching administrators could track the use of toilet paper in a residence hall, students quickly realized there were still plenty of toilet paper in public restrooms. Game day, the restrooms were in the Rose Arena suddenly had no toilet paper, with the same shortage happening in the bathrooms of the academic buildings. Students were quite enterprising when it came to finding free rolls of toilet paper, but if their hard work failed, local grocery stores usually had toilet paper on sale right before each game day.
Other MAC schools did not share CMU's enthusiasm for the activity. On Dec. 14, 1987, CM Life reported that the MAC adopted a new rule, specifically aimed at CMU. "All MAC institutions shall take steps to prohibit the throwing of any articles onto the floor during basketball games ..." The MAC cited safety concerns, and CMU did concede several pairs of glasses had been broken by flying "debris." It is probably worth noting that the new rule was adopted unanimously by the MAC, meaning CMU's representatives also voted for it.
The Dec. 14, 1987 student newspaper went on to report that "Beginning Thursday, CMU officials are planning to halt the toilet paper-throwing ritual at Chippewa basketball games." Since everyone knew simply asking students to stop would prove insufficient, "All rolls of tissue will be confiscated at the door. Any person who smuggles the toilet paper into Rose and tosses it will be escorted from the arena."
If it was 1982 all over again inside Rose Arena, this time the afterglow is still fondly remembered by many to this day. As Dave Keilitz summed it up, "It was good while it lasted."
CMU to celebate 4️⃣0️⃣th anniversary of 1️⃣st toilet paper toss!
— CMU Men's Basketball (@CMUMensBBall) December 20, 2022
⚪ Toilet Paper Toss/White Out Game
📆 Saturday, Jan. 28
🕖 7 p.m. ET
🆚 Western Michigan
🏟️ McGuirk Arena
🏀 Dan Majerle in attendance!
🎟️ https://t.co/tKW6Nunie6
📰 https://t.co/Ps5Wfb2oOV#FireUpChips🔥⬆️🏀 pic.twitter.com/pzNA3tRzIz
Excerpts from College Basketball Roundup, by Morin Bishop, Sports Illustrated, Jan. 11, 1988
Paper Rollback
When Central Michigan scores its first field goal of a home game, its fans customarily pelt the court with toilet paper. A lot of toilet paper. Sports information director Fred Stabley estimates that between 3,000 and 4,500 rolls of toilet paper are usually thrown, causing an instant blizzard that brings the game to a grinding halt. The maintenance staff has the cleanup procedure down to a science; it removes the debris in a matter of three or four minutes.
But before this season the Mid-American Conference passed a new regulation, widely known as the Central Michigan Rule, mandating another five-minute warmup period for both teams after the cleanup. And to discourage the fans from such behavior altogether, the conference warned the Chippewas' athletic director, Dave Keilitz, that continuation of the toilet-paper tradition could result in a technical foul being assessed against the home team.
The true test of the new edict will come on Jan. 13, when Central Michigan plays Cleveland State in its first home game with school back in session. "We'll have baskets at the gate for the kids to throw their toilet paper in," says Stabley. "But there won't be any frisking. It's basically an honor system."
Excerpts from Central Stays Unbeaten at Home, by Ken McDonald, CM Life, Feb. 13, 1987
Fans shouldn't let tossing of tissue become out of hand.
Joe Falls came to CMU Wednesday. And the Detroit News sports editor and columnist had one thing on his mind. He wanted to throw some toilet paper. Falls had heard of the phenomenon that has swept Rose Arena. So, when he began emptying his briefcase, he pulled out a portable computer, some paper and pens and, yes, a roll of toilet paper. After Traverse City junior Dan Majerle poured in the Chippewas' first basket, streams of toilet paper came flying onto the court. And, yea, Joe Falls tossed his roll high into the air.
Thanks to writers like Falls, and photos that have appeared in various papers, news of the toilet paper tossing has blanketed the state. And so far, all the publicity has been positive.
Excerpts from Shaping Memories Through Three Lenses, by Frank Boles, Clarke Historical Library News and Notes, Nov. 7, 2019
Peggy Brisbane told one story of one of CMU's most iconic photos: the toilet paper toss that once was a part of every CMU home basketball game. For reasons that were never quite clear, in 1986 students began to toss rolls of toilet paper into the air when a member of the CMU basketball team made the team's first basket. Thousands of rolls of toilet paper would go flying – so many that local stores had toilet paper sales on the day of home basketball games. Janitors also noticed that bathrooms in the residence halls and other CMU buildings were emptied of toilet paper in the hours before the game.
Sports Illustrated picked up Peggy's picture of the toilet paper toss and ran it in a small corner of the magazine. Without telling Peggy, a student submitted an article about the toilet paper toss to People Magazine. People's editor loved the story, but also wanted a picture. Peggy filled out a standard PR request from the magazine for the image with little thought. She was shocked when the picture ran across two pages in the magazine.
The student who submitted the article received a small stipend from People, and sheepishly asked Peggy if he should share it with her. Peggy responded that taking the picture was her job – and she was quite happy with settling for "merely" a by-line in a national magazine. The "tradition" came to an end in 1987 when frustrated basketball officials decided that the 10-15 minutes needed to clean up the mess on the court constituted a "delay of game," and began to assess CMU a technical foul for the behavior of its fans.
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