Barry Bremen

Barry Breman (b. June 30, 1947)Lynch, Eamon. [http://www.golfonline.com/golfonline/tours/usopen/article/0,17742,1068866,00.html "That Man's An Imposter: Former NFL cheerleader Barry Bremen crashed the 1985 U.S. Open," "Golf" magazine (2005).] Retrieved July 17, 2008.] is a West Bloomfield, Michigan, insurance salesmanKenyon, J. Michael. [http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/allstar/30179_1979game06.shtml "Real action in '79 was outside the lines," "Seattle Post-Intelligencer" (July 6, 2001).] Retrieved July 17, 2008.] and marketing executive known in the sports world as The Great Imposter. From the period 1979 to 1986, the 6'4",Greenwalt, Julie. [http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20075605,00.html "When Barry Bremen Tried to Infiltrate the Dallas Cowgirls, the Team Found It a Drag," "People", vol. 13, no. 2 (Jan. 14, 1980).] ] "lean"Rubin, Neal. [http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060205/OPINION03/602050386/1001/rss21} "Great Impostor sidelined today," "Detroit News" (February 5, 2006).] Retrieved July 15, 2008.] Bremen posed as a Major League Baseball umpire in the World Series, a player in a Major League Baseball All-Star Game, a player in a National Basketball Association All-Star Game, a referee in the National Football League, a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader, and a professional golfer. He also posed as an Emmy Award accepter.

Bremen is a self-proclaimed jock who regularly played touch football, basketball and softball. His wife Margo, in a 1980 "People" magazine profile of the imposter, said Bremen was "fulfilling a grand fantasy to be in the limelight. He feels if you have no guts you have no glory in your life." His advice to other impostors: "Don't do it. It's against the law. Stay away. This is my act."

Sports impersonations

Baseball

In 1979, with the help of telecaster Dick Schaap and Kansas City Royals third basemen George Brett, Bremen sneaked onto the field dressed in a New York Yankees uniform at the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, held at the Seattle Kingdome. Bremen shagged flies in the outfield for a half hour and attempted to pose for a group picture with future Hall of Famers Brett, Reggie Jackson, Joe Morgan, Mike Schmidt, Gaylord Perry, Dave Winfield, Steve Carlton, Nolan Ryan, Carl Yastrzemski, Lou Brock, and Tommy Lasorda. Bremen was finally spotted and ushered off the field. He tried again, hiding out in the Mariners clubhouse whirlpool bath, until Seattle Mariners (and AL) trainer Gary Nicholson had him ejected from the premises.

Bremen dressed as an umpire at a 1980 World Series game and he walked out to home plate with actual umpires Harry Wendelstedt (NL), Don Denkinger (AL), Paul Pryor (NL), Bill Kunkel (AL), Dutch Rennert (NL), and Nick Bremigan before he was discovered.

In 1986, wearing a New York Mets uniform, Bremen again shagged flies in the outfield during the All-Star pre-game at the Houston Astrodome.

Basketball

In 1979, Bremen donned a Kansas City Kings uniform and got onto the floor during pre-game warmups for the NBA All-Star Game at the Pontiac Silverdome. He repeated that act in a Houston Rockets uniform at the 1981 All-Star Game at the Richfield Coliseum.

Football

On December 16, 1979, Bremen posed as a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader at a Cowboys-Redskins game held at Texas Stadium in Irving, Texas. In preparation, Bremen lost twenty-three pounds, practiced drag routines with his wife, had a replica Dallas Cowboys cheerleader uniform custom-made, shaved his legs and bankrolled the project with $1,200 of his own money. During the game, Bremen burst onto the sidelines in boots, hot pants, falsies and a blond wig. He got out only one cheer — "Go Dallas!" — before Cowboy security had him hogtied and handcuffed. The Cowboys hit Bremen with a $5,000 lawsuit for trespassing and creating a nuisance, and petitioned to have him banned from Cowboy games for life.

In 1980, Bremen posed as a line judge referee at Super Bowl XV at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans. [Dormish. Marrty. [http://media.www.roundupnews.com/media/storage/paper474/news/2004/11/11/Opinion/Open-Up.And.Allow.Loved.Ones.To.Know.You-802052.shtml "Open up and allow loved ones to know you," "The Round Up: The Student Voice of NMSU", (Nov. 11,2004).] Retrieved July 17, 2008.]

In 1982, Bremen, dressed as the San Diego Chicken, was stopped from entering Super Bowl XVI at the Pontiac Silverdome.

Golf

At the 1979 U.S. Open, Bremen (who has a 7 handicap) sneaked in at the Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio and played a practice round with Wayne Levi and Jerry Pate. He returned for an encore at the 1980 U.S. Open at the Baltusrol Golf Club, where he played so poorly in a practice round that a spectator asked the United States Golf Association's P.J. Boatwright Jr. how such a lousy golfer had made it through qualifying.

In 1985, Bremen played a practice round with Fred Couples, Jay Haas, and Curtis Strange at the U.S. Open at the Oakland Hills Country Club in California. Scouting the course early in the week, Breman was introduced to Couples, then an up-and-coming pro. "I had a great chuckle with him," Couple said. " [Bremen] said, 'Obviously, I can't tee off with you, but I'll find you out there.'" A friend of Bremen's — an Oakland Hills member — smuggled Bremen's clubs and caddie into the club. Bremen, wearing a disguise and claiming to be a qualifier named Mark Diamond, went in search of Couples, who was playing a practice round with Haas.

Couples remembers:

At the 10th hole, Strange and Bob Eastwood joined the group. "We played as a fivesome. That's when I got a little nervous," Bremen said. "All they said was, 'We don't mind you playing as long as you keep the ball in play." Bremen claimed to have shot a 77.

Bremen says that all of his stunts he is proudest of his golf antics. "I was out there for the longest time," he says proudly, "and I was never caught."

Emmy Awards

At the 1985 Emmy Awards in Pasadena, Bremen suddenly arose from a front-row seat and accepted from a confused Peter Graves a Best Supporting Actress award for "Hill Street Blues" actress Betty Thomas.

"Retirement" and personal life

In 2005, Bremen claimed to be retired from gatecrashing: "You've heard of the Taser gun? You've heard of 9/11? They don't ask questions anymore," he said; but won't rule out a final bow at a future U.S. Senior Open. "Could there be an opportunity when I'm 60? Yeah," he said. (He has since turned 60, and has not attempted any reported impersonations lately.)

Bremen is married and has three children.

References

Endnotes

Sources Consulted

* Kenyon, J. Michael. [http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/allstar/30179_1979game06.shtml "Real action in '79 was outside the lines," "Seattle Post-Intelligencer" (July 6, 2001).]
* Greenwalt, Julie. [http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20075605,00.html "When Barry Bremen Tried to Infiltrate the Dallas Cowgirls, the Team Found It a Drag," "People", vol. 13, no. 2 (Jan. 14, 1980).]
* Lynch, Eamon. [http://www.golfonline.com/golfonline/tours/usopen/article/0,17742,1068866,00.html "That Man's An Imposter: Former NFL cheerleader Barry Bremen crashed the 1985 U.S. Open," "Golf" magazine (2005).]
* "Not-So-Great Moments in Sports", HBO Home Video, 1988.
* Rubin, Neal. [http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060205/OPINION03/602050386/1001/rss21} "Great Impostor sidelined today," "Detroit News" (February 5, 2006).]