Postgame update: The Seattle Seahawks beat the New England Patriots 29-13 in Super Bowl 60 and head coach Mike Macdonald received a yellow Gatorade bath. The Gatorade was not dumped on him until after the game ended, but we knew ahead of the two-minute warning what color was coming. After the Patriots scored a touchdown and failed to recover an onside kick attempt, the NBC broadcast showed the Seahawks mixing up the yellow Gatorade.
One of the great traditions of the Super Bowl began, well, as payback.
During the 1984 season, the New York Giants and their head coach, Bill Parcells, were under a great deal of pressure. Parcells’ first season in New York was a disaster, as the Giants limped to a 3-12-1 record, and every newspaper in New York was pointing to Howard Schnellenberger as perhaps the Giants’ next head coach.
New York got off to a 3-4 start in 1984, but with a pivotal game coming up against the Atlanta Falcons, Parcells was particularly tough on his players, telling them that a loss that week was probably going to cost him his job.
While the Giants won that game to improve to 4-4, things got tougher after that with a matchup against NFC East rivals Washington. Parcells continued to ride his players, including one player in particular: Defensive tackle Jim Burt. Parcells kept reminding Burt — and anyone else within earshot during practice — that Washington center Rick Donnalley had won the NFL’s “Strongest Man in Pro Football” competition.
During practice that week, not only did Parcells put Burt up against double-team blocks after practice to simulate what the defensive tackle would be up against, he forced Burt to hold 20-pound dumbbells in each hand and punch a padded wall in the locker room for 45 minutes, to mimic firing his hands off the ball at the snap.
Burt endured that week of practice, but ahead of the game he told his coach in rather colorful language that while he handled the week, he hoped Parcells could handle what would follow next.
The Giants won that game 37-13, and in the closing moments Burt grabbed a Gatorade jug and dumped what was cold water on his head coach:
Yes, technically the first “Gatorade bath” was nothing but water.
But superstitions stick. After that first instance, Giants linebacker Harry Carson took over the duties and would dump the Gatorade tub on Parcells after each win. Carson said Parcells was superstitious, and so that continued all the way through their win over the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXI.
And a new angle of betting was born.
What are the Gatorade odds for Super Bowl LX?
Now, fans can bet on the color of the Gatorade used at the end of the game, and Super Bowl LX is no different. According to FanDuel Canada, here are the odds for the color of the Gatorade at the end of Sunday’s game between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks:
Color |
Odds |
|---|---|
| Orange | +240 |
| Yellow/Lime or Green | +270 |
| Blue | +270 |
| Purple | +650 |
| Water/Clear | +1000 |
| Red/Pink | +1000 |
Super Bowl Gatorade shower color history
If you are wondering whether history could be a guide, here is every recorded color at the end of a Super Bowl used for the Gatorade Bath, dating back to Super Bowl XXXV between the Giants and the Baltimore Ravens:
Super Bowl |
Winning Team |
Color |
|---|---|---|
| 59 | Eagles | Yellow/Green |
| 58 | Chiefs | Purple |
| 57 | Chiefs | Purple |
| 56 | Rams | Blue |
| 55 | Buccaneers | Blue |
| 54 | Chiefs | Orange |
| 53 | Patriots | Blue |
| 52 | Eagles | Yellow |
| 51 | Patriots | None |
| 50 | Broncos | Orange |
| 49 | Patriots | Blue |
| 48 | Seahawks | Orange |
| 47 | Ravens | None |
| 46 | Giants | Purple |
| 45 | Packers | Orange |
| 44 | Saints | Orange |
| 43 | Steelers | Yellow |
| 42 | Giants | Clear |
| 41 | Colts | Clear |
| 40 | Steelers | Clear |
| 39 | Patriots | Clear |
| 38 | Patriots | None |
| 37 | Buccaneers | Purple |
| 36 | Patriots | None |
| 35 | Ravens | Yellow |
