Robert Cade: The Florida Doctor Who Invented Gatorade

In the summer of 1965, a University of Florida assistant coach asked a simple question: why do my players never need to use the bathroom during games? A kidney doctor named Robert Cade went looking for the answer and ended up inventing Gatorade.

A Question on a Hot Field

Cade was a professor of medicine and nephrology at the University of Florida when coach Dewayne Douglas wondered aloud why his Gators lost so much weight and faded so badly in the Florida heat. Cade and his research team realized the players were sweating out water and electrolytes faster than they could replace them. So they mixed up a batch of water, sodium, sugar, and a squeeze of lemon to make it drinkable. The first version tasted, by several accounts, awful.

Named for the Gators

They tested the drink on the freshman team, refined the recipe, and named it Gatorade after the squad it was built for. The varsity Gators started finishing games stronger than their opponents, and after a 1967 bowl win a rival coach reportedly grumbled that the difference was that his team “didn’t have Gatorade.” Word spread fast. Other schools and pro teams wanted it, and a quiet Florida lab project became a national phenomenon.

A Billion-Dollar Legacy

Gatorade grew into a multibillion-dollar brand, and after a long dispute the University of Florida and Cade’s team secured a share of the royalties that has since sent many millions of dollars back to the school. Cade, who died in 2007, spent his own earnings on quirky passions like Studebaker cars and violins. Every time an athlete dumps a cooler of sports drink on a winning coach, the moment traces back to a hot Gainesville practice field and one doctor’s curiosity.