One of the most iconic traditions in American sports is the Gatorade shower – the practice of dousing the winning coach with a cooler of the sports drink after winning the Super Bowl. While the tradition began spontaneously, it has become a highly anticipated moment after the big game. Fans look forward not just to seeing the coach get soaked, but also to find out what color Gatorade they chose for that year’s shower. The color has become a pop culture phenomenon, with people making bets and wild guesses about each year’s color. In this article, we’ll take a deep dive into the history of the Gatorade shower, the meaning behind each color, and a comprehensive list of the Gatorade color used at every Super Bowl.
History of the Gatorade Shower
While it may seem like a coordinated promotional event now, the original Gatorade shower was an impulsive prank. The first documented shower took place after the New York Giants beat the Washington Redskins in week 12 of the 1984 NFL season. Defensive player Jim Burt spontaneously dumped a cooler of Gatorade on coach Bill Parcells, much to Parcells’ surprise. The Giants ended up making the playoffs that season, so Burt and teammates made it a recurring gag for the rest of the year.
The gag caught on, and the following season the Chicago Bears doused coach Mike Ditka with a Gatorade shower after clinching the NFC Central Division title. The 1986 Bears also showered Ditka after their Super Bowl XX win, which brought the Gatorade shower to the national stage. It became a tradition for the winning team ever since.
Now the Gatorade shower is a coordinated event, with brand representatives working with the winning team to plan the color and logistics. While the shower is spontaneous for the coaches, it is carefully strategized from a marketing perspective.
Meaning Behind Gatorade Shower Colors
So how do they choose the color for each Super Bowl? Gatorade’s color choice tends to have symbolic meaning related to the winning team’s story that season. According to the brand, the color selection is a way to honor the winning team.
For example, at Super Bowl 50, the Broncos were doused in orange Gatorade – one of their team colors. The Seahawks got orange Gatorade too for their Super Bowl win in 2014, also matching a team color. The Patriots got blue Gatorade – their other team color – for their 2005 and 2017 wins.
Sometimes the choice is more obscurely meaningful. For the Buccaneers’ 2021 win, they got a special reddish-orange “Buc Fire” Gatorade matching the creamsicle throwback uniforms they wore during the season. The Ravens got purple Gatorade in 2013 to match one of their colors, but also the bruising defensive style they employed that year.
So in summary, the Gatorade shower color usually follows one of these approaches:
– Team’s primary color
– Team’s secondary color
– Unique flavor matching team name or history
– Color matching team’s playing style or personality
This makes the color selection a fun puzzle for fans to analyze and predict each year.
Every Gatorade Shower Color in Super Bowl History
Here is the breakdown of the Gatorade shower color for every Super Bowl to date:
| Year | Winning Team | Gatorade Color |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Los Angeles Rams | Blue |
| 2021 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Orange “Buc Fire” |
| 2020 | Kansas City Chiefs | Orange |
| 2019 | New England Patriots | Blue |
| 2018 | Philadelphia Eagles | Yellow |
| 2017 | New England Patriots | Blue |
| 2016 | Denver Broncos | Orange |
| 2015 | New England Patriots | Blue |
| 2014 | Seattle Seahawks | Orange |
| 2013 | Baltimore Ravens | Purple |
| 2012 | New York Giants | Purple |
| 2011 | Green Bay Packers | Orange |
| 2010 | New Orleans Saints | Orange |
| 2009 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Yellow |
| 2008 | New York Giants | Clear |
| 2007 | Indianapolis Colts | Clear |
| 2006 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Clear |
| 2005 | New England Patriots | Blue |
| 2004 | New England Patriots | Yellow |
| 2003 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Red |
| 2002 | New England Patriots | Clear |
| 2001 | Baltimore Ravens | Clear |
| 2000 | St. Louis Rams | Clear |
| 1999 | Denver Broncos | Orange |
| 1998 | Denver Broncos | Orange |
| 1997 | Green Bay Packers | Orange |
| 1996 | Dallas Cowboys | Water |
| 1995 | San Francisco 49ers | Red |
| 1994 | Dallas Cowboys | Orange |
| 1993 | Dallas Cowboys | Water |
| 1992 | Washington Redskins | Yellow |
| 1991 | New York Giants | Water |
| 1990 | San Francisco 49ers | Orange |
| 1989 | San Francisco 49ers | Orange |
| 1988 | Washington Redskins | Yellow |
| 1987 | New York Giants | Blue |
| 1986 | Chicago Bears | Orange |
Notable Gatorade Shower Moments
While the color choice is a key aspect of the Gatorade shower, the actual dousing creates many memorable moments as well. Here are some of the most iconic Gatorade celebrations over the years:
– Bill Parcells’ reaction – The stunned coach spit out his cigar when he got the surprise shower in 1984.
– Joe Namath doused – Instead of the coach, broadcaster Namath got soaked with orange Gatorade in 1998.
– Tom Coughlin soaks – The normally serious Giants coach cracked up laughing during the 2008 shower.
– John Harbaugh photobombed – The Ravens coach got orange Gatorade to the face as players tried dumping it on each other in 2013.
– Pete Carroll chews gum – The Seahawks coach hilariously chewed gum throughout his entire orange shower in 2014.
– Tom Brady skips it – The Patriots QB walked off stage before his teammates could douse him in blue Gatorade in 2019.
The Gatorade showers create spontaneous, lighthearted moments between the coaches and teams each year. It’s a fun capper to the Super Bowl that both helps advertise Gatorade and shows the human side of these larger-than-life coaches.
Conclusion
While originally an impulsive prank, the Gatorade shower has become a beloved NFL tradition and part of Super Bowl pop culture lore. The color choice provides deeper meaning honoring the championship team each year. It also gives fans and commentators something extra to analyze and predict around the big game. The actual dousing leads to many memorable coaches’ reactions as well. All in all, the Super Bowl Gatorade shower encapsulates the passion, emotion, and commercial side of American football in one perfect package.
