What kind of beverage was invented for, and named after, the athletes at the University of Florida?

In the mid-1960s, the football team at the University of Florida was struggling against a formidable opponent: the state's oppressive heat and humidity. Players were suffering from severe dehydration and heat exhaustion, which hampered their performance on the field. An assistant coach posed a question to a team of university physicians, asking why his players were losing so much weight during games but were unable to urinate, a clear sign of extreme dehydration.

That question prompted a team of researchers led by Dr. Robert Cade to create an experimental beverage. Their goal was to develop a drink that could be absorbed quickly while replenishing the carbohydrates players burned for energy and the electrolytes they lost through sweat. The first batch was a simple mixture of water, sodium, sugar, potassium, and a bit of lemon juice for flavor. The test subjects, the freshman football players, nicknamed the concoction "Gator-aid" after their team's famous mascot, the Gators.

The drink proved to be a massive success. The varsity team began drinking it and their on-field endurance improved dramatically, culminating in a major victory at the 1967 Orange Bowl. The opposing coach famously credited his team's loss to the new beverage, stating, "We didn't have Gatorade. That made the difference." This national attention led to the drink's commercialization, and the name was officially licensed, forever linking the world's most famous sports drink to the college athletes it was invented to help.