Robert Cade facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Robert Cade
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| Born | September 26, 1927 |
| Died | November 27, 2007 (aged 80) |
| Citizenship | American |
| Alma mater | B.S., University of Texas, 1950 M.D., Southwestern Medical, 1954 |
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| Known for | Invention of Gatorade |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Strasburger |
| Children | Michael, Stephen, Martha, Celia, Emily & Phoebe |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Medicine Nephrology |
| Institutions | University of Florida |
James Robert Cade (born September 26, 1927 – died November 27, 2007) was an American doctor, professor, and inventor. He was born in Texas and studied at the University of Texas. Later, he became a professor of medicine at the University of Florida.
Dr. Cade did a lot of medical research. But he is best known for leading the team that created the famous sports drink, Gatorade. Gatorade became very important for helping people who were dehydrated. It also brought in over $150 million in money for the University of Florida.
In his later years, Dr. Cade became a very generous person. He gave a lot of money to charities, especially those linked to the Lutheran Church. He also created scholarships and donated to the University of Florida and other schools.
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Robert Cade's Early Life and School
Robert Cade was born in San Antonio, Texas, on September 26, 1927. He was a fourth-generation Texan. As a teenager, he loved sports and was a good runner in high school. He graduated from Brackenridge High School in 1945.
After high school, he joined the U.S. Navy and served for three years. He worked as a pharmacist's mate. In 1948, he left the Navy and went to the University of Texas. He finished his four-year degree in just two years! He earned his bachelor's degree in 1950.
In 1953, he married Mary Strasburger, a nurse. Dr. Cade then earned his doctor of medicine degree from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in 1954. He completed his medical training in Saint Louis and Dallas. He also did special studies at Cornell University. In 1961, Dr. Cade joined the University of Florida College of Medicine in Gainesville, Florida. He became a professor in the kidney division.
How Gatorade Was Invented
In 1965, an assistant coach for the Florida Gators football team, Dewayne Douglas, talked to Dr. Cade. The coach was worried because his football players were getting very dehydrated during practices and games. It was very hot and humid in Florida. The players were losing a lot of water and not replacing it.
Dr. Cade and his research team studied the players. They found that players could lose up to 18 pounds (8.2 kilograms) during a three-hour game. Most of this was water. Their blood volume also dropped. They were losing important salts like sodium and chloride through their sweat.
Making the First Gatorade
In 1965 and 1966, Dr. Cade and his team, including doctors Dana Shires, James Free, and Alejandro M. de Quesada, started experimenting. They wanted to create a drink that would help the players rehydrate. They tried different mixtures of glucose (sugar) and electrolytes (salts). They tested their new drink on the Gators football team.
The first versions of the drink didn't taste very good! One player, Larry Gagner, said it tasted awful. Dana Shires joked it tasted like "toilet bowl cleaner." To make it taste better, Dr. Cade's wife suggested adding lemon juice. They also added a sweetener. The original mix had water, salt, sodium citrate, fructose, and monopotassium phosphate.
Gatorade's Big Success
At first, the team called the drink "Cade's Ade." Later, it became known as "Gatorade." The drink was first used in a game in 1965 against the LSU Tigers. It was 102 degrees Fahrenheit (39 degrees Celsius) that day. The Tigers got tired in the second half, but the Gators did not. Coach Ray Graves was convinced Gatorade worked! He asked Dr. Cade to make enough for all their games.
Gatorade became famous after the Gators won the Orange Bowl in January 1967. They beat the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 27–10. The Gators were known as a "second-half team" because they often got stronger as the game went on. After the game, the Georgia Tech coach, Bobby Dodd, said, "We didn't have Gatorade; that made the difference."
Sharing the Success
Dr. Cade patented the Gatorade formula. He offered all the rights to the University of Florida. He wanted the university to help produce and sell the drink. But the university said no at first. So, Dr. Cade started his own business to make Gatorade.
Later, he made a deal with Stokely-Van Camp, Inc. to produce and sell the drink. When the money from sales reached $200,000, the university noticed. The university then asked for a share of the profits. They argued that their facilities, employees, and students helped develop the drink.
After a long legal discussion, Dr. Cade and the university reached an agreement in 1972. The university received 20% of the money from Gatorade sales. Dr. Cade and his investors kept 80%. After this, Dr. Cade and the university worked well together. The university used some of its first Gatorade money to fund Dr. Cade's kidney research. Dr. Cade also created many scholarships and gave generously to the university.
Robert Cade's Legacy
By 2007, the University of Florida had received over $150 million from its share of Gatorade money. By 2015, this amount grew to $281 million. Dr. Cade continued to work for the university. When he retired in 2004, he was named a professor emeritus of nephrology. In 2007, the University Athletic Association honored him in their Hall of Fame.
Today, Gatorade is owned by PepsiCo. It is sold in about 80 countries and comes in over 50 flavors. In 1965, Dr. Cade and his team spent only $43 to make the first batch. Now, Gatorade has led to a multi-billion dollar sports drink industry. In 2007, over seven billion bottles of Gatorade were sold in the United States each year.
While Dr. Cade was surprised by Gatorade's huge success as a sports drink, he was even prouder of its use in hospitals. It helps patients recover after surgery and treats diarrhea-related dehydration in babies and young children.
Dr. Cade also did other important research. He studied hypertension (high blood pressure), exercise physiology (how the body works during exercise), autism, schizophrenia, and kidney disease. He also invented a special hydraulic football helmet to help prevent concussions.
Beyond Science
Dr. Cade was a lifelong member of the Lutheran church. He was honored by the church in 1991. He gave a lot of money to Lutheran colleges and organizations. He and his wife also started the Gloria Dei Foundation. This group helps people who are poor and need support.
Dr. Cade was also a talented violinist. He sometimes played with local orchestras. He collected over 30 violins and more than 60 old Studebaker cars. He and his wife continued to live in the same house in Gainesville even after Gatorade made them wealthy.
On November 27, 2007, Dr. Cade passed away from kidney failure at the age of 80. He was survived by his wife Mary, their six children, twenty grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren.
The Cade Museum
The Cade Museum Foundation was started in 2004 by Dr. Cade's daughter, Phoebe Cade Miles. In 2010, they began raising money to build a new Cade Museum in Gainesville. The museum opened in May 2018.
On September 26, 2013, Florida Governor Rick Scott honored Dr. Cade as a "Great Floridian." This award recognizes people who have made "major contributions to the progress and welfare" of Florida.
See also
- Florida Gators
- Florida Gators football, 1960–1969
- History of the University of Florida
- List of Delta Upsilon alumni
- List of University of Florida faculty and administrators
- List of University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame members
- List of University of Texas at Austin alumni
- University of Florida Health Science Center
