'Moments and memories'
Inside the magic of the 2026 Toilet Paper Toss
Central Michigan senior center Nathan Claerbaut celebrates after completing the ceremonial first dunk at the toilet paper toss at McGuirk Arena, Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026. After the dunk, attendees of the game threw toilet paper onto the court. (CM-Life | Alivia Cranick)
Ribbons of toilet paper dangled from the rafters of McGuirk Arena the evening of Jan. 31, as thousands of fans decorated in white celebrated the fourth consecutive Toilet Paper Toss victory for Central Michigan men’s basketball.
In front of 5,352 fans, the fifth largest crowd in McGuirk Arena history, Central Michigan would emerge victorious 62-59 over Bowling Green. As the final seconds expired, the players and coaching staff embraced one another, allowing the energy of the moment to give way to raw joy.
“It’s just pure emotion,” head coach Andy Bronkema said. “It’s not something you can rehearse. We usually huddle up before or after the game, and then everybody gets into the stands and thanks people for coming out.”
Since the beginning of the season, Bronkema has set out to emphasize this sense of community within the culture of his team. In doing so, they have built relationships with the CMU fanbase that inspires loyalty and fuels excitement in the long term.
“They see what this team is,” Bronkema said. “This is a team that never gives up, that has resolve, character and whether shots are going or not, … we’re grinding out there, and that’s something to cheer for.”
Central Michigan was treated to a thrilling game, yet the pregame Toilet Paper Toss tradition was the primary attraction for the roaring crowd. The event has floated in and out of the spotlight across the years. Beginning in the 1982-83 season, students would flood the court with toilet paper after CMU’s first bucket of the game.
After rules were passed in 1987 by the Mid-American Conference, forbidding students from throwing objects onto the court at the cost of a technical foul, the tradition faded. The only exception was during the 2004 season, when the program celebrated its 100th anniversary with a revival of the tradition.
Central Michigan freshman Ty Nagelkerk holds a sign while cheering on the Chippewas in McGuirk Arena, Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026. (CM-Life | Alivia Cranick)
In the 2022-23 season, the program officially brought back the event as a pregame activity. Allowing the fans throw the toilet paper before tipoff lets the Chippewas to avoid unnecessary technical fouls, significantly impacting the game itself.
For each of the previous three years, CMU faced its rival Western Michigan, in the toilet paper toss game beginning with a high energy game in 2023 which concluded with a game winning three-point shot. However, Central Michigan elected to move in a different direction this season, taking on Bowling Green instead.
No matter the opponent, McGuirk Arena consistently has become fully packed. The venue has hosted over 5,000 visitors for the Toilet Paper Toss game each year, and it was the influence of these fans that was the key for powering the Chippewas’ comeback this year.
“I wasn’t getting tired out there,” senior Nathan Claerbaut said. “That crowd earlier just energized us, and I don’t know how many minutes I played, but I feel like I wasn’t getting tired.”
Standing at seven feet tall, Claerbaut was given the honor this season to dunk the ball, signaling the exact moment of when fans would throw the toilet paper onto the court.
The moment this season was initiated by Bronkema, who passed the ball to Central Michigan legend Ervin “Lightning” Leavy. Immediately after, Leavy tossed it out to Claerbaut who slammed it down into the net.
“We were in film one day, talking about the pregame ritual and what was going to happen, and Coach told me I was going to do the dunk,” Claerbaut said. “To have my name called out there, and then everyone starts throwing toilet paper … it was pretty sweet.”
The Central Michigan University men’s basketball team plays in the toilet paper minutes after it is tossed on the floor of McGuirk Arena on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026. (CM-Life | Jasmine Brookins)
In addition to this, it was a deeply personal event for Bronkema.
“To be able to do that was pretty cool for a couple different reasons. I talk about it a lot, my family went to school here, my dad was a student here. He’s been to some of the Toilet Paper Toss games,” Bronkema said. “To be part of it in that way, it was really cool. … But to have [Claerbaut] on the other end of that and how great he’s playing for the Chippewas and how far he’s come, was really special for me too.”
It’s a spectacle for the fans, but the players relished the tradition as well, bonding together as teammates while toilet paper cascaded upon them. With no returning players or coaches from last season’s roster, it was the first time these Chippewas were able to experience the event.
“When the toilet paper started coming down, I just started throwing it at my own teammates,” sophomore Keenan Garner said with a laugh. “This was obviously one of the bigger things [Central Michigan] has to offer, as far as unique traditions. Getting the entire city behind you, the big fanbase, everybody out here. There’s not a lot of other colleges that do that.”
Garner, along with the rest of CMU’s players, gave the fans a treat during the game itself. Despite an initially fast start, the Chippewas would cool down and face a 12-point deficit at halftime, struggling to hit their shots when given an opening.
They would then battle back in the second half: Garner led the charge with his first career double-double for 18 points, 14 rebounds and two assists. Crucial plays with under a minute to go propelled Central Michigan to its third conference win of the season, and the first back-to-back victories in Bronkema’s tenure as CMU’s head coach.
“That was a fun moment,” Bronkema said of the excitement following the final buzzer. “We talk about what it is to be positive, what it means to be successful, what basketball is. But we also talk about moments and memories, and that’s one you can write on the list of moments and memories. That feeling is a lot of fun.”
