Who Was Barry Bremen of ‘The Great Imposter and Me’? Did he really play NBA Finals, MLB World Series, Super Bowl, and golf’s U.S. Open?
Everything to know about the 'Great Imposter' Barry Bremen.
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Credits: Detroit Free Press
From the Super Bowl, World Series, and the US Open, sporting icon Barry Bremen has appeared in all of them. Well, although he might be called a sporting icon by several media outlets, this does not necessarily mean that he was involved with playing sports at all.
Barry Bremen was part of several major sporting events in the United States. Bremen has appeared as an umpire in the World Series, as a player in an All-Star MLB game, as a player in an NBA All-Star game, as a professional golfer, and as a cheerleader in the NFL.
Describing all of Bremen’s exploits would be beyond the ambit of this article. However, what strikes the curiosity of most fans is whether Bremen was really a legitimate part of all the major sporting events held across the United States. To simply answer that question, he was not and was impersonating either players or other officials on the field.
Bremen by profession was an insurance salesman for New York Life. He was a master impersonator which earned him the title, ‘The Great Imposter’. From 1979 to 1986, he would be all over the news for barging and posing in major sporting events such as the All-Star NBA and MLB games, as well as golfing tournaments such as the US Opens. Here are more details on his exploits in sports and his successes in the same.
Barry Bremen appearing in NBA
Barry Bremen first appeared in the NBA on February 1979 when he donned a Kansas City Kings uniform and posed on the floor during an All-Star game. One of the first people to notice his odd appearance was Kings player Otis Birdsong. On seeing Bremen, he exclaimed, “You’re on my team, and I don’t even know who you is!”
Bremen once again returned to the NBA in the 1981 All-Star Game at Richfield Coliseum in a Houston Rockets kit. In that same season during Game 5 of the NBA Finals, he later came back impersonating an official. He stood alongside ‘real’ officials of the game, Earl Storm, Paul Mihalak, and Joe Gushue prior to the national anthem.
Bremen in MLB
1979 indeed was a peak year for Bremen as he crashed the most number of sporting events during that time. Similarly, Bremen’s first appearance in MLB would be at the All-Stars game being played at the Seattle Kingdome. He donned a New York Yankees kit and attempted to pose alongside Hall of Famers Reggie Jackson, Joe Morgan, and Mike Schmidt.
However, he was spotted and then ushered out of the field. He once again tried sneaking into the field while hiding inside the Mariners clubhouse whirlpool bath. However, he was removed from the premises by Seattle Mariners’ Gary Nicholson.
His second attempt at crashing an MLB game was during the 1980 World Series where he was alongside real game umpires until he was discovered. However, his last attempt in 1986 was his penultimate incident of crashing any sports event.
On being discovered by the Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda at the 1986 All-Star game, Bremen was berated and humiliated by the ex-Yankees player and then Dodgers manager. Bremen was not pleased with the poor treatment in jail and this was the last all-star stunt of his impersonation career.
Bremen in NFL
Bremen first appeared in NFL on December 16, 1979, as a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader at the Texas Stadium in Irving. To pull this role, Bremen had reportedly lost twenty-three pounds, practiced drag routines, and custom-tailored a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader uniform.
When he went out on the field, he could only scream “Go Dallas!” as his first cheer. However, he was intercepted and handcuffed by Cowboys security for trespassing. He was petitioned to be banned from all Cowboys games for life.
His next two appearances came in as a line judge referee at Super Bowl XV, in 1981 and as the San Diego Chicken in 1982. He was stopped from entering the Super Bowl XVI in 1982 at the Pontiac Silverdome.
Bremen in golf
Bremen is very proud of his golfing antics and perhaps, these were the most successful exploits for The Great Imposter. His first appearance in professional golf came at the 1979 US Open. Bremen was seen practicing alongside Wayne Levi and Jerry Pate.
He once again returned to the course in the 1980 US Open. Bremen, who is said to have a handicap of 7, attracted the attention of a spectator who remarked how could a lousy golfer like him qualify his way to the tournament.
Remembering the 1985 US Open, Fred Couples describes Bremen, “He comes out of the shrubs on the second hole and hits this tee shot that buzzes the spectators…. He had this big wig on and a visor and looked a little out of place, but we didn’t care. He just did his deal and had a great time. It didn’t take long for people to scream out, ‘Who is that guy?’ I mean the cat was out of the bag after a couple holes, but we didn’t get in trouble and no one came out to get him.“
Bremen loves boasting about his golfing antics and says, “I was out there for the longest time and I was never caught.”
Barry Bremen deemed himself retired from his shenanigans in 2005. He died of esophageal cancer on his 64th birthday in 2011.
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