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OUTSTANDING ALUMNUS
I
n the summer of 1965, a team of physicians from the University of Florida developed a balanced carbohydrate-electrolyte drink for members of the Florida Gators football team. They dubbed it: Gatorade. Today, the Gatorade brand of performance drinks and products is available in more than 80 countries — and Gatorade is the official sports drink of the National Basketball Association, the Women’s National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer, and many other professional leagues and teams. Product development remains grounded in cutting-edge research. Enter exercise scientist and outstanding alumnus, John Stofan, ’90, M.S. ’92, who oversees research operations for the Gatorade Sports Science Institute (GSSI) and the Sports Sciences Division of PepsiCo Global Long Term Research in Barrington, Ill. Established in 1988 as a research and educational facility, the GSSI is committed to expanding knowledge on sports nutrition and exercise science. Stofan joined the organization in 1997, specializing in the study of fluid balance, hydration, and sports nutrition. His work builds on his experience at Southern, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education and human performance in 1990 and a Master of Science in exercise science in 1992. A stellar student, he received the prestigious Dr. Lloyd Barrow Award in Excellence in Physical Education and worked in the Human Performance Laboratory at the university. After graduation, he further honed his research skills at the John B. Pierce Laboratory, which is affiliated with Yale University. Stofan then joined the GSSI, where he has worked with some of the biggest names in professional sports, among them, Mia Hamm of USA Soccer, Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees, the National Football League’s Payton Manning, triathlete Chris Legh, and NASCAR driver Matt Kenseth. But Stofan’s scientific curiosity extends to athletes at every level of play, from Olympians to college and high school players to kids on the community soccer field. “There are very different and very specific needs for different populations,” he noted in a past article for Southern Alumni Magazine. “It is our responsibility to make sure the products we make address those needs and do what we claim they will do for the athletes.”
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John Stofan, ’90, M.S. ’92 • School of Education