December 04, 2007

Robert Cade: An Appreciation

Robert Cade, the inventor of Gatorade, died a week ago at the age of 80.

Neil Amdur wrote a nice, informative appreciation of Dr. Cade in Sunday's NY Times.

Raise a Glass to the Father of Energy Drinks

It is hard to imagine a world in which hydration, electrolyte replacement, and carbo-loading were not universal concepts in athletics, but that was the way things were in 1966 when Cade started providing "Cade's Cola" to the U. of Florida football team.

Now, Americans drink 7 billions of bottles of Gatorade a year. 7 billion.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about Cade was that he wasn't trying to start a revolution or found the sports drink industry, he was just trying to help athletes. His other projects involved experimenting with high-carbohydrate meals prior to exercise and designing a better football helmet.

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