AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Auburn fans will once again be able to celebrate victories by rolling the oak trees at Toomer’s Corner with toilet paper.
Auburn had asked fans not to roll the new trees after their planting in February 2017 until they were established enough to avoid damage. The trees were removed after being poisoned by Alabama fan Harvey Updyke in 2010.
Two new live oaks were planted in 2015 but both were removed after being damaged by fire while celebrating a win over LSU.
“The rolling of Toomer’s Corner is one of the nation’s top sports traditions,” Auburn President Christopher B. Roberts said. “Our fans have come together for decades on the corner of Magnolia and College to celebrate our big wins.
“In recent years, we continued our cherished tradition by rolling different trees, but I am very excited that the Auburn family will once again be able to roll our most prominent trees.”
Updyke, who died in 2020, had pleaded guilty to poisoning the trees, which were planted between 1937 and 1939.
Authorities learned what had happened only after Updyke, using a pseudonym, announced what he had done on a call-in sports talk show. Updyke said he was upset after Auburn beat Alabama in 2010 and then went on to win the national championship.
He served six months in jail for damaging an agricultural crop and was ordered to turn over $800,000 but paid only a fraction of the amount.
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