WUSA TV9 Sportcaster: Best Glenn Brenner Memories

[grhqofb5]

In the spirit of Redskins nostalgia, what better way to remember the good ole days then to remember Glenn. No local sportscaster has ever reached his level of popularity, and none ever will. The Redskins dedicated their victory in the 1992 championship against the Lions to Glenn, so let's hear everyone's best memories.....

[Frunobulax]

In the spirit of Redskins nostalgia, what better way to remember the good ole days then to remember Glenn. No local sportscaster has ever reached his level of popularity, and none ever will. The Redskins dedicated their victory in the 1992 championship against the Lions to Glenn, so let's here here everyone's best memories.....

My brother still has, on VHS, the tribute to Glenn Brenner the station did after he passed. I never really paid much attention to Brenner back then, but the tribute shows a warm, funny man. I wish I'd paid more attention, but I was in the Air Force at the time and probably overseas.

[Gallntfox]

I used to love when he picked the football games with the nun

[hail2skins]

In 2002 Pollin and Czaban did a tribute to Brenner on their show ten years after his death. George Michael called in and said that when the media was in Pasadena for Super Bowl XVII there was a gathering at the hotel bar one night and a huge tab was rung up. Somehow Brenner got it charged to George's account and Glenn left a note with the check: "Explain this to NBC!"

[grhqofb5]

My favorite memory... When I was about 10 years old, my family and I were watching the sports report on channel 9 while we were eating dinner. Glenn Brenner, for whatever reason, held up a Playboy magazine right at the end of the segment and made some sort of offensive comment. My mother jumped up from the table, yelled, "that's it," and spent the next hour on the telephone trying to get through to the channel 9 news office to lodge a complaint. I've never heard my father laugh louder in my life, trying to get my mother to come back to the table. All I can remember is her yelling that, "Brenner crossed the line this time!!"

[SkinsNatsFan]

Good thread. Nice memories.

He had so much fun and made it fun for us watching. My wife actually watched sports news with me when he was on. So much laughing. Laughing 'til he cried. Always enjoyable.

[fight4oldc]

The Redskins Sidelines show was bar none the best local Redskins show that there has ever been. He and Sonny always had the "characters" from the team on Grimm, Riggo, Manley, Curtis Jordan etc.


He was funny without seeming to try to be funny. He was far and away the best sportscaster this town will ever see.

The night he died George Micheal of rival ch4 cried and could barely keep himself composed. That says all you need to know about Mr. Brenner. Micheal could never get to were he wanted to be with Brenner in the way but could not help himself but to care for him as a freind.

[Trippster]

I really loved his "Weenie of the Week" bits. They were hilarious. The best though is when the rodeo cowboy got kicked in the cahonas, and Brenner could not stop laughing. Another funny time was when Jurgensen was reporting from the field wearing the goofiest hat imaginable. Somehow Brenner got all the staff the same hats and when the camera came back, here was Glenn, Maureen and Gordon all in those ridiculous hats. Hilarious!!!!
A big part of Redskins nostalgia died when Glenn Brenner died.

[fight4oldc]

Davey Marlin Jones

[tizzod]

I can't remember anything specific, but I sure do remember watching him and loving him. I also remember it was quite the sad day when he passed. I was bummed. Definitely a DC institution.

This one's for you, Mr. Brenner!

:cheers:

[Barney B]

Jeez, that guy was great. He was probably funny while asleep.

I remember a bit from that tribute show:

Glenn B. won an award (an Emmy, I guess) for best sportscaster, so they showed him with the trophy, which was, maybe, 2 feet tall.

So he looks at the camera and says something like, "This isn't going to change me a bit, I'm still the same humble guy I always was."

Then they show him driving down the street with the trophy mounted to the hood of his car. :notworthy

[Yusuf06]

Yeah, Brenner was one of the truly great ones on local TV. I really can't believe it's been that long since he died.:(

[SonnyJ]

He and Petersen had a great schtick going with each other. The chemistry between the two was better than I've seen with any other two newscasters.

I remember they used to always give Gordon Barnes a hard time. When he decided to take a gig in Florida, they took him out for a farewell dinner, which they filmed with a hidden camera. Both Brenner and Petersen got up after dinner prior to the check being delivered, one taking a "phone call", the other "using the restroom". The waiter brought the check out and Barnes told him that the other two were paying and they would be back shortly. The waiter informed him that both had left and said that Barnes would pay, upon which Barnes, realizing he had been set up, launched a string of expletives.

Great stuff! :laugh:

He was the King. My wife (then girlfriend) loved watching him, and you won't find more of a non-sports person than her. I made a point of watching "Weenie of the Week" - it was must-see TV.

Some guys just have the gift of humor and comedic timing. He had it in spades. One of the truly naturally funny people I've ever seen.

[grhqofb5]

I used to love when he picked the football games with the nun

Yeah I can vaguely remember that also... Its funny what a kid can recall from his childhood. I guess I remember Glenn because my loved him so much and my mom was so offended by him.

[natsfan3]

The WEENIE MOBILE!!!

[natsfan3]

Glenn Brenner was more than a sportscaster to area viewers. Sports fans and nonsports fans alike were drawn to him by his magnetism, natural good humor, and ability to keep sports in perspective. He always made you feel good about yourself.

Whether it was his `Weenie of the Week' award, his constant pranks, or his guest football progniscator interviews, Glenn kept it light. Who can forget his wonderful interviews with Sister Marie Louise, classics in the annals of Washington broadcasting.

Glenn Brenner distinguished himself with his charm, honesty, and extraordinary sense of humor. Watching one of his newscasts was a treat, for Glenn talked about the `big game' without getting technical or too wrapped up in scores and statistics. He delivered a broadcast that nonsports fans could not only follow, but truly enjoy. He always kept sports in perspective.

Glenn began his career as an athlete, a baseball player with the Philadelphia Phillies' organization, before moving into broadcasting. After stops in his hometown of Philadelphia, Huntington, WV, and Millville, NJ, Glenn came to Washington's WUSA-TV, channel 9, in 1977. For the next 14 years, Glenn laughed and cried with athletes of all shapes, sizes, and abilities. Sportscasters enjoy interviewing a famous athlete, but interviews with little leaguers and fans on the street were always done in a professional, yet sympathetic manner.

Some say Glenn Brenner was a comedian in a broadcaster's body. That was partly true. However, no one can ever say that Glenn treated a story too lightly or did not treat it with sensitivity.

Glenn was a devoted husband and father to his wife and three children, making his family life his first priority amid a busy broadcasting schedule.

[doubledeuce]

how about the time when brenner tried to interview john mcenroe and johnny mac wouldn't give him the time of day. brenner would ask him a question, and mac would just keep walking. brenner sensed the humorous side of the situation -- instead of stooping down to mcenroe's level, he just kept firing questions while mcenroe would stare daggers at him. because of that incident, i believe the weenie of the week was renamed for mcenroe...

[Larry]

One week, Brenner was scheduled to do his Redskins show, live, during a blizard. Nobody was getting in or out of the building. The only folks there were trapped there.

So he invited the anchor down from the news desk, and introduced him as the Capital's latest aquisition, Guy le Guy, and spent the entire show "interviewing" him.

-----

I also remember another news bit he did, when he announced that, for the first time in umpty-ump years, the Washington Capitals have qualified for the Stanly Cup playoffs.

"Now before you folks go and get all excited, let me point out that there are 19 teams in the NHL, and 16 of them go to the Stanley Cup playoffs. On a scale of human achievment, it ranks slightly ahead of passing a driver's test."

[Cool Hand Loki]

"Get me my Uzi! The control room screwed up again!!"

Edit: In case that's too obscure...whenever they would screw up the highlight he was trying to run, he would go on a 2 minute routine about all the punishment he was going to dole out in the production room...great stuff.

[Ernie5]

The best though is when the rodeo cowboy got kicked in the cahonas, and Brenner could not stop laughing.

That was the greatest. My mom, who lived in Bethesda, called me in DC, weeping, and said, "Did you just see that?" I was hysterical, of course.

[grhqofb5]

Does anyone have a picture of Glenn? I couldn't find one anywhere on the net, but i'm sure there's one out there somewhere. It would be great for this thread...

[Isifhan]

Probably my favorite memories were of him being so approachable, he was a member of Indian Springs Country Club and would always be there in the summer with his family by the pool. Always approcable and never carried himself with a "star" attitude although he easily could have. Man he was one of a kind.

[doubledeuce]

there was one time when gordon petersen kept cajoling brenner into standing up in front of the set after his sports segment. after a bit of arm-twisting, brenner finally stood up and said something to gordo with a big grin on his face... the secret was revealed, all of washington got to see brenner's boxers.

[Park City Skins]

I don't remember the specific shows about Glenn, though if given enough time I might. I do remember that he never failed to have the newsroom laughing on air. And when I got out of the service and returned briefly to Northern Virginia, one of the first things I did was watch sports with Glenn Brenner. What a great sportscaster.

[Ax]

I still have him on a VHS tape of assorted music videos doing a piece about Jack Nicholson at the Laker games.

He talked about how Jack refused to give autographs at the games. He had security people around him to keep people away.

As he was setting up the story, he showed video of a stunning oriental lady in a miniskirt trying to approach Jack. His security people were telling her no when Jack happened to turn and see her. He told his guys to let her through, gave her a kiss and an autograph, to the delight of the crowd, who were watching the whole thing. Jack stood and took a bow to a thunderous ovation.

Brenner of course was doing a "Jack, the humanitarian" schtick through the whole thing.

Classic Brenner.

[Califan007]

For some reason, the thing that jumps into my mind first was when Brenner was on vacation for like a week or so (in Hawaii, maybe?), and it was being advertised that he was finally going to be back the following day. I tuned in just to see his return, and he showed up on the set wearing a bright flowered shirt, a straw hat, sunglasses, and smoking a cigar...lol :laugh:...It was like he just didn't give a rat's ass...and everyone else who was in suits and ties started cracking up.

[Fan035]

I loved Glenn Brenner.


I remember when Ken Mease (Brenner's co-worker) tried to praise Glenn after his death and he broke down crying on the air. I was crying too.

I miss him - we could sure use his humor these days.

[Skinned]

I did an internship with Ch9 WUSA Sports right after Brenner had passed and when Warner Wolf returned. Nobody there liked Wolf at all, including people in the Sports Dept. I remember so clearly how hard Warner tried to get Peterson involved and Gordon would have none of it. You could tell that a piece of him died as well with Glenn.

Brenner himself was a one of a kind. I was fortunate enough to get to watch him for a few years prior.

[PatFischer37]

The fact that he died suddenly during the last Super Bowl run in '91/'92 was horrible. I do remember the tribute with all of the Channel 9 staff. They even had tributes from the competing broadcasters at the time who ironically are still and/or back in town George Michael and Tim Brandt

[stwasm]

I remember meeting him plenty of times during when and Sonny hosted Redskins Sidelines. My best memory was when, after the show ended and I was getting his autograph, I asked him if either J.C. Hayward or Maureen Bunyan were still at work. He told me no, but added, "But, you have really good taste." GREAT guy. He's STILL missed!

[Teller]

I remember meeting Glenn at the Nike outlet on the way home from Ocean City one summer. The whole family was there, and we were all fans. After we rambled like idiots over how much we loved his sportscasts, in typical dead-pan style, he said, "Man. I need to come here more often."


What was really cool was that as we made our way from the back of the store to the checkout, we realized we were in line behind Charley Casserly. I would've liked to have heard the conversation between the two of them!