Gatorade Football Endowment
GA: support athletic endowment in sport of football.
Gatorade funded a football endowment in recognition of the role of Gator football in the development of Gatorade. In the mid-1960s, a UF research group lead by Professor Robert Cade developed a beverage for the Gator football team to prevent water depletion and chemical imbalance in players. First tested with the team in 1965, the product (then named Gator Go) was a striking success. Through game reports, Gatorade soon received national exposure that lead to its widespread appeal.
Funds received by the university from the sale of Gatorade have been applied to support various research endeavors, including those of the Marine Institute in St. Augustine, Fla.
Cade, a professor of medicine and physiology, arrived at UF in 1961 as an assistant professor and has been with the university for over 35 years. In addition to his work with sports drinks, he is renowned for his pioneering studies on the treatment of lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.
