RetroSimba

Lou Brock used his legs to become one of baseball’s best players. He used his head when it came to business.

Brock, National League career leader in stolen bases (938), was an entrepreneur who got involved in many businesses (florist, corporate pitchman, sporting goods, television sports programmer, broadcaster) during and after his playing career.

As Kevin Horrigan, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, noted, “To Lou, business opportunities are likes bases … waiting, not to be stolen, but taken … You can’t steal a base if you don’t run, and you can’t make any money if you don’t dare greatly.”

The business that brought Brock the most attention was the umbrella hat.

Brock designed, marketed and sold the BroccaBrella.

Fashion statement

Not to be confused with the euphonious John Boccabella, the catcher who batted .219 in 12 big-league seasons, Brock’s patented BroccaBrella was worn on the head and protected users from the sun or rain.

(There are various published spellings of Brock’s umbrella hat, including BrockaBrella and Broc-a-Brella, but in all of the company’s advertisements during the 1970s it was BroccaBrella.)

As the St. Louis Post-Dispatch noted, “The BroccaBrella wasn’t merely a hat or an umbrella; it was both accessories melded into one stylistic statement. The design concept was simple enough: Take one adjustable headband, attach a lightweight frame, then cover with a colorful swatch of material.”

According to a 1978 Post-Dispatch ad, “With a jaunty BroccaBrella, you’re always ready for both sun and rain. With both hands free for work or play, and with room for air to circulate and cool your head. Adjustable headband, aluminum frame and ribs, rainproof nylon cover. Folds into pocket or beach bag.”

The BroccaBrella was offered for $5.95, or two for $10, in the 1978 Post-Dispatch ad, but Eagle supermarket in Springfield, Ill., priced it at $3.97 in 1979 and a 1980 ad in The Sporting News listed the product at $4.95.

An acquired taste

According to multiple published reports, Brock conceived the idea for the umbrella hat as a way to shield visiting players from objects heaved by bleacher fans at Chicago’s Wrigley Field. He sent his design to an Asian manufacturer. When a shipment of umbrella hats arrived, Brock and Cardinals teammate Al Hrabosky wore the gadgets, partly as a gag, during warmups before a game at Chicago.

Though the umbrella hat was mocked as goofy by some, others were intrigued. Sensing an opportunity, Brock got a patent. His business, Broc-World Products, which marketed sports novelties, began selling the BroccaBrella in 1976 while Brock still was playing for the Cardinals.

It was pitched in ads as a sun and rain protector for people fishing, golfing, gardening, doing yardwork, relaxing at the beach or spectating at sports events.

The Post-Dispatch’s Robert W. Duffy called the BroccaBrella “the weirdest-looking headdress since Carmen Miranda’s fruit hats.”

Brock told the Columbia Missourian that the umbrella hat was “for people who have a creative image of themselves” and “who are a little bit daring.”

The rainmaker

Brock was a relentless promoter of the umbrella hat, wearing it with a smile whenever news cameras were on the scene. At the 1977 baseball winter meetings, he modeled the BroccaBrella poolside at the Sheraton Waikiki. At a meeting in New York, he gave one to Mayor Abraham Beame.

Cardinals owner Gussie Busch wore the umbrella hat at a game. Comedian Steve Martin appeared on “The Tonight Show” with one on his noggin. Cincinnati Bengals linemen Bob Brown and Coy Bacon wore BroccaBrellas at a 1976 team practice.

When Pope John Paul II visited the U.S., BroccaBrellas designed with the papal coat of arms were sold to the faithful as sun protection during outdoor Mass.

According to the Post-Dispatch, the majority of customers bought the umbrella hat to ward off the sun. Brock told the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, “The people who use it are mostly fishermen and little old ladies in the garden.”

By June 1978, Brock’s company reported $500,000 in BroccaBrella sales.

In 2010, in a Cardinals ballpark promotion, 25,000 replica BroccaBrellas were given to fans attending the game. Brock, wearing one of the replica umbrella hats, threw the ceremonial first pitch.