(Mental Floss) -- Snow and ice may be dominating the weather report, but January is also a great time for another very specific type of precipitation: the Gatorade shower. With the college bowl season winding down and the NFL playoffs heating up this weekend, get ready to see some coaches covered in sports drink. Here are the answers to some burning questions about this fairly new tradition. Who started the tradition? Although the exact origins of the tradition are hotly debated, former New York Giants defensive tackle Jim Burt often gets the credit for the first bath. According to Darren Rovell's interesting book "First in Thirst: How Gatorade Turned the Science of Sweat into a Cultural Phenomenon," Burt had the idea for the prank while the Giants were struggling during the 1985 season.
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Book: New York Giants defensive tackle Jim Burt popularized Gatorade shower
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Harry Carson threatened President Reagan with shower, but used popcorn
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Miami Dolphins head coach Don Shula ordered players not to shower him
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Liquid tradition spread to the NBA in 2008
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However, while Burt and @placeholder popularized the Gatorade shower, they didn't pull off the first dunking.
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Of course, it would have been a crime to mar Reagan's fastidiously styled hair with sports drink, so Carson showered the president with a @placeholder cooler full of popcorn.
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According to Rovell, since @placeholder didn't actually invent the ritual, they weren't quite sure how to handle the situation.
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Reporters speculated that this might have been the first time the Gatorade shower had crossed over to the @placeholder.