I was saddened to learn just now that the inventor of Gatorade died earlier today. He’s Dr. Cade and for us Gators he’s meant a lot. From a story on Reuters:

The retired Florida professor who invented Gatorade, the hydrating drink that created a multibillion-dollar sports beverage market, died on Tuesday at age 80, the University of Florida said.

Dr. Robert Cade created the drink in 1965 to help rehydrate the school’s athletes during games in Florida’s punishing heat and named it after the university’s mascot, the gator.

You can read more in the Gainesville Sun. I wonder how many bottles of Gatorade I’ve bought over the years. Do you remember playing sports and having to drink the first batches of the powder mix? Let’s just say the product has improved over the years.