WPU Toilet Paper Tradition

The long-standing tradition of throwing toilet paper continued during the men’s basketball game between rivals William Penn and Grand View on Wednesday, February 9th. The gym was packed on both sides with over 500 people ready to launch toilet paper at any second.


Within seven second of the game, toilet paper flew as the first basket was scored by William Penn’s number three, Blake Walker. The Statesmen went on to win the game 50-48 over the Vikings.

The leading scorer and rebounder for William Penn was Alan Douglas with 13 points and nine rebounds, followed up by teammates Wiebe Goodyk with 10 points and Blake Walker with nine points.



The toilet paper tradition has been going on since the early 1980’s, and was originally a war between Central and William Penn. It started back when William Penn was part of the NCAA Division III. Once the Statesmen moved to the NAIA and the Midwest Collegiate Conference, they quickly choose a new rival--the Vikings.

“This is a fun tradition that unites the students and campus,” said Athletic Director Greg Hafner.

Since the 1980’s the Grand View Rivalry has been a close match up as the Statesmen are one game up on the Vikings (18-17 playing record). Coach John Henry was a part of the Penn’s basketball tradition as a player until graduation in 1997, and then joined back to the tradition as a Coach in the 2001-2002 seasons. Coach Henry currently holds a 15-8 record over Grand View.

William Penn men’s basketball is currently 13-14 (5-9 MCC), and will travel to Dubuque, Iowa Saturday, February 12th for a 3 p.m. start against Clarke University.

For more information on the Men’s Basketball team, go to http://www.statesmenathletics.com/sport/12/4.php