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The Gatorade shower is a time-honored tradition that has now transitioned from professional sports to a form of celebration that is accepted in all sports in almost all leagues in the world. Though this is now a celebrated occurrence that goes along with big wins in either championships or rivalry games, it started out as a way to prank your head coach. First here is a little preface on the world’s first and most popular sports drink.

Gatorade: A Brief History

Gatorade is the namesake beverage of the University of Florida Gators. It was developed by a team of scientists led by Robert Cade for the school’s football team. It was used to help replenish body fluids lost during tremendous physical activity. Two years later, the Gators credited it partially for the teams first Orange Bowl win and then the drink became a commercial product. Gatorade is now owned by Pepsico and contributes about 12 million dollars a year to the University of Florida.

The First Dunk

The first occurrence of the Gatorade shower was Jim Burt of the New York Giants who dunked cold, Orange Gatorade on Head Coach Bill Parcells after being angry over a decision made during a 37-13 victory over the Washington Redskins in October of 1984. The first dunk is also claimed by three members of the Chicago Bears, Linemen Dan Hampton and Steve McMichael and Linebacker Mike Singletary who decided to give the infamous Mike Ditka a cool Gatorade bath after beating the Minnesota Vikings, but that was a month after the Giants initial Gatorade Shower.

Championship Prestige

The Gatorade Shower gained its championship prestige two years after its original inception. The same New York Giants that started it continued it after every win during the 1986 season that eventually culminated in a Super Bowl victory against the Denver Broncos. It has since been a mainstay in the Super Bowl.

In Other Sports

• The Gatorade Shower was first given to a basketball coach in 2008 when Forward Paul Pierce dumped Fruit Punch Gatorade on Head Coach Doc Rivers after the Boston Celtics had won the NBA Finals.
• In Baseball, it is common practice to cover a player who hits a game-winning hit or even a walk-off hit with Gatorade. This practice usually happens during a post-game interview.

Infamous Shower

The two most infamous occasion where a Gatorade shower happened to soon both involved the Louisiana State Tigers. The first happened when Kentucky Wildcats celebrated by showering their Head Coach Guy Morriss up by 3 points. The next play was a tipped Hail Mary pass by LSU. The more recent occurrence happened last year in the highest scoring game in college football history. LSU showered their Head Coach Ed Orgeron with Gatorade after an interception. The interception was then called back and Texas A&M went on to win the game in seven overtimes. Needless to say, you should look for crazy things to happen when the LSU Tigers are in a football game where Gatorade is spewed.

No matter the sport or the event, Gatorade is the drink of champions and fuels athletes and just normal people to strive for and achieve their best. Be sure when you choose to have something to drink after working out or even after work, know that Gatorade will help you perform to your potential. Hydrating with Gatorade may just lead to a Gatorade Shower in your future!