Gatorade was first developed in 1965 at the University of Florida for the Florida Gators football team.

Development year

• A team of researchers led by Dr. Robert Cade created the drink in 1965 to help players replace fluids and electrolytes lost during games in the Florida heat.

• It was initially mixed and tested with the university’s football team rather than sold to the public.

Public release

• After its success with the team, the rights to produce and sell Gatorade in the United States were acquired by Stokely-Van Camp in 1967, which marked its broader commercial rollout.

• So, Gatorade “came out” as an invention in 1965, and it reached the general public as a commercial product starting around 1967.