Rolling Toomer's Corner: Explaining Auburn football tradition after celebration's 2023 return
College football is known for its traditions, and Auburn might have one of the most distinct at Toomer’s Corner.
After wins — mostly in college football but in other sports as well — fans and students flock to the intersection of College Street and Magnolia Avenue to throw toilet paper over the famed Auburn Oaks trees at Toomer’s Corner, located a few blocks from Jordan-Hare Stadium.
No matchup presents a more raucous crowd outside Toomer’s Corner than when Auburn football takes on Alabama each season in the Iron Bowl, one of the top rivalries in the sport. Thankfully for Tigers fans, rolling the trees is back in 2023 after the school announced its return for the first time since 2017.
The original trees were removed in 2013 after Alabama fan Harvey Updyke poisoned the trees after the Crimson Tide fell to Auburn in the 2010 Iron Bowl. The trees were then replaced in 2015 but were killed again in 2016 after they were set on fire following the Tigers’ win over LSU.
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The current trees were planted in 2017 and haven’t been suitable for rolling until before this season, bringing back the cherished college tradition. Should Auburn (6-5, 3-4 in SEC play) upset No. 8 Alabama (10-1, 7-0) on Saturday, one thing’s for certain: Toomer’s Corner will be pandemonium.
Here’s everything to know about rolling Toomer’s Corner, including how the festivity started and why it’s back:
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Rolling Toomer’s Corner tradition, explained
After Auburn wins, fans and students flee to Toomer’s Corner to celebrate the Tigers, throwing toilet paper over the Oak trees. The festivities aren’t hard to find, as the nearby streets become flooded with Auburn fans, especially after big games.
Toomer’s Corner history
Toomer’s Corner is named after “Shel” Toomer, a former state senator and Auburn halfback from 1892.
Toomer founded Toomer’s Drugs in 1896, which was thought to house the only telegraph in the city at the time. When Auburn would win road games, employees at Toomer’s Drugs would report the score and then throw the telegraph ticker tape onto the nearby power lines.
Ticker tape soon turned to toilet paper, as the Toomer’s Corner trees, power lines and everything nearby were draped in the material in celebration. The reason for toilet paper is up for debate, as is the tradition's beginnings. But one story is believed more true than the rest.
After Auburn defeated undefeated, second-ranked Alabama 17-16 in the notorious “Punt, Bama, Punt” game of 1972, fans threw toilet paper all across Toomer’s Corner. The reason? Running back Terry Henley said before the game that the Tigers were going “to beat the No. 2 out of Alabama."
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Is rolling Toomer’s Corner back?
Yes, rolling Toomer’s Corner is back for the 2023 season.
The school announced the new trees planted in 2017 were finally established enough to be rolled, after fans had been asked to refrain from the tradition for several years.
“Both trees have made excellent progress since planting took place six years ago and are now considered to have recovered from transplant stress,” Auburn arborist Alex Hedgepath said in an announcement. “Because of the Auburn Family’s commitment, the trees are now established and can withstand rolling and cleanup efforts after Auburn athletic victories. With continued care, we expect the trees to grow vigorously and become further established.”
The Toomer’s Corner Oaks also receive weekly health checks.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Rolling Toomer's Corner: Explaining Auburn football tradition
