There is nothing like rolling Toomer's Corner with 87,000 of your closest friends after an Auburn football win. It is one of the most unique traditions in college football and a tradition that has united a fan base for decades.
Simply put, it's Auburn being Auburn.
Bring your toilet paper this fall and be ready to roll. The Hugh Freeze era gets underway Sept. 2 when Auburn hosts UMass for Kickoff on The Plains. It's your last chance to purchase a four-pack for the 2023 season.
It's not hard to find the celebration after a big win at Auburn. Just head for the intersection of College Street and Magnolia Avenue, where Auburn's campus and the City of Auburn come together. And be sure to watch out for flying rolls of toilet paper. Since the beginning of Auburn Athletics, Tiger fans have celebrated victories there.
The intersection, which marks the transition from downtown Auburn to the university campus, is known as Toomer's Corner. It is named after former State Senator "Shel" Toomer (a halfback on Auburn's first football team in 1892) who founded Toomer's Drugs in 1896. Toomer's Drugs is a small business on the corner that has been an Auburn landmark for over 130 years.
The tradition of rolling Toomer's Corner is said to have begun when Toomer's Drugs had the only telegraph in the city. During away football games, when employees of the local drug store received news of a win, they would throw the ticker tape from the telegraph onto the power lines.
The beginning of the tradition of throwing toilet paper into the trees, power lines and every other stationary object on the corner is open to debate.
"We celebrated Pat Sullivan winning the Heisman Trophy there in 1971 and no toilet paper was tossed," said David Housel, Auburn Athletics Director Emeritus. "That started a year later when we celebrated the 17-16 victory over Alabama in the `Punt, Bama, Punt' game."
That was the game in which Auburn ran back two punts for touchdowns in the last six minutes. The use of toilet paper was inspired by comments from Terry Henley, a colorful halfback whose rural drawl made him a darling of reporters. The unbeaten Crimson Tide was ranked second in the nation coming into the game and Henley made a pledge: "We're going to beat the No. 2 out of Alabama."
Hence the rolls of toilet paper.
The Toomer's Oaks were removed in April 2013, after a poisoning incident that occurred after the Iron Bowl in 2010. Although the trees didn't survive, the tradition at Toomer's will carry on.
This fall, every time Auburn wins a football game, the fans will leave Jordan-Hare Stadium and head straight to Toomer's Corner to celebrate. By morning, the trees along College Street in front of Samford Hall will be covered in toilet paper.
