University of Pennsylvania fans have a peculiar way of displaying school spirit at home games. They throw toast.
No one knows exactly when this behavior started, but it can be traced to the 1970s in response to a ban on alcohol at ancient Franklin Field. Students used to imbibe when the band played “Drink a Highball” at the end of the third quarter. The song, written by G.B. Brigham, closes: “Drink a highball and be jolly. Here’s a toast to dear old Penn!”
Greer Cheeseman, a former Penn student, was to direct the band in another lively rendition of “Drink a Highball” on Saturday when the Quakers played Cornell, a game Penn won, 34-21, to take home a share of the Ivy League title with Dartmouth and Harvard. Cheeseman said he was among those who discovered a way to show spirit without spirits after less-than-jolly administrators adopted the no-highball policy.
Cheeseman and some friends got their idea while attending a midnight showing of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” in downtown Philadelphia. At one point during the film, an actor offers a toast. That prompted veteran attendees to unload toast in the direction of the screen.
Cheeseman returned to campus and shared with his fellow band members a new way to salute dear old Penn.
“We thought if the band did it, everyone would do it,” he said. “Now it’s taken on a life of its own.”
Jesus Perez, the senior class president, could not believe his eyes when he attended his first game at Franklin Field after leaving his native San Juan, Puerto Rico.
“I was like, ‘What is this?’” he said. “‘What kind of crazy people throw bread onto the field?’”
Now he is among those stockpiling and toasting stale slices of bread so that he will be prepared as soon as the last line to “Drink a Highball” is reached.
“When you throw the toast and look up in the sky, it’s filled with toast,” Perez said. “It’s an incredible sight, and it keeps going for 15 to 30 seconds because some people have, like, stacks. I’m excited about the tradition because it is unique.”
Most fans bring their own toast; some carve a “P” into it or add another decoration. Bagels and loaves are discouraged. “That is a projectile,” Cheeseman said.
Toast typically extends from one 30-yard line to the other, longer for homecoming. Penn engineering students designed a toast-eating Zamboni-like machine for the cleanup to eliminate the burden on the maintenance staff. Money is raised for food banks to help offset what is lost.
The tradition works particularly well at 120-year-old Franklin Field. A track, used for the Penn Relays, rings the field. That keeps opposing players from being targeted. The same cannot necessarily be said for fans of the visiting team who find themselves sitting on the Penn side.
“It’s smarter to sit on the other side,” said Jordan Holmes, a former mascot who graduated last year. “If you have to sit on our side, sit farther back so there is less toast raining on you.”
About the Author
