Who started the Gatorade bath? Looking at Jim Harbaugh's Gatorade bath moments

The Wolverines HC Jim Harbaugh celebrated a historic victory over the Huskies in Houston, clinching their first national championship since 1997 with a perfect 15-0 record.

The Michigan coach, who had previously eluded the Gatorade shower tradition with his nimble moves, finally got drenched by his jubilant players. Here are some of the memorable moments of Harbaugh's Gatorade bath escapades.

“NOOO…. Jim Harbaugh finally got THE GATORADE BATH after running away from it earlier,” MLFootball tweeted.

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Who started Gatorade Bath?

One of the most iconic celebrations in sports is the Gatorade shower, where players dump a cooler of the sports drink over their coach's head after a win. But who started this ritual, and when?

Some say it was Jim Burt, a New York Giants player who soaked his coach, Bill Parcells, in 1984.

Others claim it was Mike Ditka, the Chicago Bears coach, who got splashed by his team in the same year.

The truth is, no one knows for sure who did it first or why.

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Why do they pour Gatorade on the coach?

A common way to celebrate a big win in sports is to drench the coach with Gatorade. This is called the Gatorade bath, shower, or dunk, and it usually happens without the coach's knowledge.

The players sneak up behind the coach with a cooler full of Gatorade, usually the same color as their team, and pour it over their heads.

This tradition started in American football, but now it is seen in many other sports as well, such as the Super Bowl, World Series and other major sporting events.

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Jim Harbaugh escaped the Gatorade bath

As Michigan celebrated its national title, Harbaugh was the target of a Gatorade shower. But the coach was quick to avoid the splash of the blue liquid while he hugged his players and staff.

The coach showed his agility by escaping his Gatorade shower after Michigan's triumph over Washington (34-13), just like he has been avoiding the speculation about his future as a coach.

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Social media reacts to Jim Harbaugh Gatorade Bath

Jim Harbaugh finally gave in and let his players drench him, and the scene was captured by many cameras and shared on social media, where fans reacted as follows.

“And Jim Harbaugh impressively avoids a Gatorade bath,” Awful Announcing tweeted. “Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit on the call for ESPN.”

“Jim Harbaugh finally gets his Gatorade bath and then hugs his family!”, a fan tweeted.

“The only play he didn't steal the sign for and they got him,” a fan tweeted.

“Gatorade = blue, chargers = blue, Jim Harbaugh next chargers HC,” a fan wrote.

“Harbaugh dodged that Gatorade bath cuz he knew the signals already,” another wrote.

“Coach Harbaugh evading the Gatorade Bath,” a funny gif posted by an X user.

“Jim Harbaugh when he sees the Gatorade coming,” another fan shared gif.

“Jim Harbaugh did just about everything right tonight including dodging the Gatorade bath,” Mark Berman, former Sports Director at Fox 26, tweeted.

According to Front Office Sports, in Jim Harbaugh's initial six-year tenure at Michigan, achievements were limited, with just one bowl win, no Big Ten titles, and a winless record against Ohio State.

However, the subsequent three years marked a remarkable turnaround, boasting three consecutive Big Ten titles, an undefeated record against Ohio State and extraordinary success, earning him a 10-year, $125 million contract extension, backed by a flawless 15-0 season culminating in a National Championship.