ST. LOUIS — You know names like Adam Wainwright, Ozzie Smith and Albert Pujols. They're easily recognizable as staples of the Cardinals organization.
But Vicki Brown is a St. Louis Cardinals legend, too. You may be thinking "Who?"
But as the first person to bring one of the most iconic figures in St. Louis sports to life, she qualifies. Of course, I'm talking about everyone's favorite feathered friend, Fredbird.
“You have to audition and prove you can make a fool of yourself in front of thousands of people. And clearly, I did," Brown said.
Hatched in 1979, Fredbird is credited as the brainchild of long-time Cardinals executive Marty Hendin, who is a franchise legend in his own right.
“He was the greatest guy. He was a great boss. He made it so fun for us," Brown said of Hendin.
Vicki was part of a pair of Cardinals employees who first brought the bird to life on the field in '79, and wishes she had stuck around for at least a bit longer.
“I did it for two years… foolishly quit in ’81. Missed out on that World Series ring (in 1982)," Brown said with a laugh.
“The players eventually found out there were two of us, and even found out one of us was a woman. So they would come up if we were in the costume before the game, ‘Is this Frida-bird or Fredbird?'," Brown said.
But just because she was only around for a few seasons, doesn't mean she's short on stories. Here are a few:
“The costume was very hot. It weighed about 40 pounds and I passed out twice in the costume. The first time wasn’t too bad. The second time I was coming off the field because I could feel I was getting sick. And Ted Simmons was sitting there and I passed out right in front of him," Brown recalled.
“George Hendrick was very quiet and didn’t talk to the media and stuff but he’d always talk with me. He needed to go pick up his car one night and asked me if I’d drive him to his car. He was warming up before one game and I said, ‘George can I do some stuff with you like I’m stealing your glove?’ And he said, ‘Vicki, get away. I have a reputation and we’re not doing this’. So I went away," Brown laughed.
“I was in the costume before the game out by home plate doing whatever. And Pete Rose’s kids was about 8 or 10, and he came running at me and knocked me down. And the costume was a stiff foam, I couldn’t get up. So I’m just rolling around there," Brown said.
Now retired, Vicki doesn’t miss a chance to let people know about her famous past life as a big red bird. And just how special it was to breathe life into one of the most iconic mascots in the history of sports.
“It’s funny because when you put that head on it’s not you anymore… and you can do crazy things," Brown said. “I don’t think I appreciated then what I do now what a special thing it was that I got to be a part of. Because it was the coolest job you could ever want to have.”