With the New York Giants playing in the NFC Championship game, the oft-debated origin of the Gatorade shower has again surfaced, this time courtesy of the New York Times.
At issue is the New York claim that defensive tackle Jim Burt began the tradition that has given Gatorade a marketingadvertising hit it couldnt have imagined or even bought.
I was told, by both Dan Hampton and Steve McMichael, and a couple of other Bears of the time, that they just grabbed a tub of Gatorade and dumped it over Mike Ditkas head after a 1984 game against the Minnesota Vikings.
But the New York Times says it was the New York Giants, and Steve Sabol of NFL Films, basically out of New York, which made its first huge break out of the New York-Green Bay championship game in 1962 and premiered Footballs Longest Day at Toots Shors in New YorkSteve told the NYT that he never saw any evidence of that in any of our footage. I believe it started with the Giants and it has just grown from there.
Im from the East Coast myself, so Im not all about bashing New York media. But, fellas, really.
This has the ring of A.) until it happens in New York, and B.) if TV didnt see it, it didnt happen.
Gatorade has to love the ongoing pub, though.