The origin is disputed but the thrill is certain --the Gatorade bath is one of sports' greatest traditions. Although Giants' linebacker Harry Carson delivered the most iconic Gatorade bath following Big Blue's Super Bowl victory in 1987, it was actually his teammate, defensive tackle Jim Burt, who doused head coach Bill Parcells first the previous season.
As the story goes, Parcells was really tough on Burt one week during the 1985 regular season, so Burt got him after a win that week for some playful revenge. Then Carson and the Giants decided, "Hey, why the heck not?" and so they dunked Parcells after every victory that year. However, Bears lineman Dan Hampton claims that he and Mike Singletary delivered the first cold dunk on head coach Mike Ditka after a win over the Vikings during the 1984 regular season.
Wherever it started, we're damn glad it did, because a Gatorade bath puts a fantastic final cap on great victories, and as you'll see, on some not-so-great ones.
1. Most frequent: Bill Parcells, repeatedly during the Giants' 1985-1986 campaign.
2. Most violent: Alabama players nailed Nick Saban and nearly knocked him over as the Tide rolled to victory in the 2009-2010 National Championship game.
3. Most unwanted: TCU coach Gary Patterson got the treatment after ordering his player not to bathe him.
4. Most likely to get a player cut: Team owner Arthur Blank got iced after the Falcons clinched the No. 1 seed for the 2010-2011 NFC playoffs.
5. Most regrettable: In 2002, Kentucky coach Guy Morriss got dunked with 0:11 on the clock, just before LSU converted a Hail Mary and won the game. Shameful.
6. Most presidential: Ronald Reagan got a popcorn bath from the Giants Harry Carson in 1987.
7. Most evasive: BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall managed to avoid a cold one.
8. Most undeserved: At 3-5 midway through their 2010 campaign, Browns players bathed Eric Mangini after beating the Patriots.
9. Most possibly fatal: 72-year-old George Allen, former Redskins head coach and Long Beach State head coach at the time of the bath in question, died six weeks after a November 1990 ice water-dunking. His death was perhaps due in part to the bath and exposure to low temperature outdoors.
10. Most unexpected: Celtics coach Doc Rivers got it on the hard court in 2008 as Boston sealed the NBA championship over the Lakers.
11. Most poorly executed bath: Ohio players were unsure if they won the MAC East and thus, whether they should douse their coach.
12. Most distance covered: Ron Washington was chased down after the Texas Rangers won the American League pennant in 2010 and doused.
13. Most controversial: In 1992, after the Atlanta Braves won the 1992 NL pennant, Deion Sanders doused CBS broadcaster Tim McCarver several times with buckets of ice water. McCarver had criticizing Deion for traveling to and playing in a football game with the Atlanta Falcons earlier in that same day.
14. Most selfish: This guy.
15. Most comical reaction: Les Miles, of course, after LSU defeated Miami in the 2005 Peach Bowl.
16. Most preseason bath: Ravens' QB coach Jim Zorn got a shower after Baltimore defeated the Redskins, Zorn's old team, in the 2010 preseason.
17. Best coach-on-player bath*: Rex Ryan doused Jason Taylor after the Jets topped the Dolphins.
*We believe the first to pull this trick was then-Florida coach Steve Spurrier in November 1990, who poured a bucket on two of his players who had gotten him the week earlier.
18. Most thrilled to get bathed: Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney after the Tigers beat UVA to send them to the ACC championship in 2009.
19. Most adorable: A group of young football players soak their coach, Ben.
20. Most indifferent to a Gatorade bath: Cito Gaston, legendary Blue Jays manager, could not care less that he got a cold, lime-green shower.
21. Second most indifferent: Marty Schotteinheimer in 2006.
22. Most welcome: Harvard head coach Tim Murphy took it like a man after the Crimson defeated Yale for the Ivy crown in 2007.
23. Most knocked to the ground: 67-year-old Bill Curry got dropped after Georgia State players dumped the coach following GSU's first-ever college football victory this past September.
24. Most obviously staged but still outstanding aerial triple-shower on a pastor: This one.
25. Most zombie-like: Ken Whisenhunt, after the Arizona Cardinals won the NFC crown in 2009 (via).
