The first sip of Gatorade wasn’t in a stadium or at a marathon—it was in a cramped lab at the University of Florida in 1965, where a team of scientists and athletes were desperate for a solution. The problem? Football players were collapsing from heat exhaustion during brutal practices, and the commercial sports drinks of … Read more
The first time a University of Florida football player collapsed from heat exhaustion during a 1965 practice, it wasn’t just a medical emergency—it was a spark. Team doctor Robert Cade, alongside researchers D. Grant Thompson and Alejandro de Quesada, scrambled to create a solution. Within days, they brewed a salty, sugary drink in a lab, … Read more
The first sip of Gatorade wasn’t meant to be a revolutionary sports drink—it was a desperate attempt to save a dying athlete. In the sweltering heat of 1965, University of Florida football player Charlie Parrish collapsed during practice, his body ravaged by dehydration and heat exhaustion. His coach, Ray Graves, rushed him to the hospital, … Read more
