Going Tonto

[Devon Coles]

A question about the origin of "going tonto": might this have nothing to do with US TV and everything to do with World Cup Soccer? Here's an almost incomprehensible bit of Scottish sports commentary by Bill Leckie at:
http://members.lycos.co.uk/BoabL/Leckie.html :
"Sure, they might sell a bucketload of kit with his name on it as the Tayzurri Ultras go tonto for their new hero. But the last thing they need is for those shirts to become collectors' items if he bums out and sods off again after a couple of months."

For reasons that totally escape me, soccer culture is a powerful influence in the world outside North America.  Soccer fans on at least four continents will go to war over the game. Who hasn't heard about British soccer "hooligans?" This makes me wonder if these ever alert UK game junkies might have picked up "tonto" from either Spanish (meaning crazy) or Italian (meaning stupid) fan shriekings encountered along the way.

Just a guess,

Devon Coles...student in perpetuity.