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The Gatorade shower is a sports tradition involving dumping a cooler full of liquid (most commonly Gatorade) over a coach's (or occasionally star player or owner's) head following a meaningful win. The tradition began with the New York Giants football team in the mid-80s. According to several sources, including Jim Burt of the Giants, it began on October 28th, 1985, when Burt performed the action on Bill Parcells after being angered over the coach's treatment of him that week.[1]. However, former Bears defensive tackle Dan Hampton claims he invented the shower in 1984 when the Bears dunked Mike Ditka upon clinching the NFL Central.^[1] The phenomenon gained national attention in the 1986 Giant's season. Parcells would be doused after 17 victories that season, culminating with Super Bowl XXI.

In 1990, George Allen, an American football coach, died a month after some of his players gave him a Gatorade Shower following a victory (as it is tradition in American Football). Some argue this resulted in pneumonia.

In 2005, ESPN sports business writer Darren Rovell published a book entitled First in Thirst: How Gatorade Turned the Science of Sweat into a Cultural Phenomenon, a history of Gatorade, in which he, among other things, documented the story behind the Gatorade dunking phenomenon.^[2]

In this context, the word Gatorade is often used as a verb, as in to "Gatorade the coach".

1. ^ Rovell, Darren. "First in Thirst: How Gatorade Turned the Science of Sweat into a Cultural Phenomenon" AMACOM/American Management Association (August 8, 2005) page 90
2. ^ ibid, pages 77-91

• Living Well: Gatorade is 40 years old and still flowing strong
• Another listing of the Dan Hampton version
• "First in Thirst" on Amazon reader

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