Bream family leaves lasting imprint on Liberty Baseball 

It was a family reunion of epic proportions on Saturday afternoon at the Liberty Baseball Stadium. More than 30 members of the Bream family, including 19 Liberty University graduates or current students, gathered for the dedication of two areas within the facility before the Flames clinched first place in the ASUN North Division by sweeping a three-game final home series against Kennesaw State.

“We’ve had 19 Breams that have come through Liberty and this has been a place that has grown us physically, but at the same time grown us spiritually for the best,” said former Major League Baseball first baseman Sid Bream, the first family member to attend Liberty, from 1978-81.

Sheldon Bream (’93), a former Flames baseball player himself, spearheaded the legacy gift to name the Leroy G. Bream Reception Area, in the entrance to the Flames coaches’ offices, in honor of his uncle. Sheldon’s wife, Shannon (’93), one of five alumni who married into the Bream family, joined him at the dedication. She is the host of FOX News @ Night and was Liberty’s first female Commencement speaker in 2013.

The Bream family’s relationship with Liberty started when Leroy Bream responded to a request from Liberty’s founder, Dr. Jerry Falwell, to let him know about outstanding Christian athletes who might be interested in attending Liberty. “Uncle Leroy” wrote a recommendation letter to Dr. Falwell regarding his nephew, Sid, and that letter was passed on to Al Worthington, Liberty’s founding baseball coach. Coach Worthington contacted local scouts in Pennsylvania to verify the letter’s accuracy. Based on those reports, a scholarship offer was extended without even having seen Bream play in person.

The scouting reports proved to be true as Sid Bream went on to set numerous Liberty Baseball offensive records, including career marks for batting average (.437) and slugging percentage (.830) that still stand. He was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the second round of the 1981 Major League Baseball Draft and thrived over an 11-year career primarily with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Atlanta Braves. He was inducted into the inaugural Liberty Athletics Hall of Fame Class in 2009, along with Dr. Falwell, who was honored posthumously.

The dedication of the reception area was a surprise for Leroy Bream, 85, who thought he was in Lynchburg to dedicate Liberty Baseball’s radio booth named for his nephew.

Leroy Bream’s son, former Liberty baseball shortstop Dave Bream (’85), helped unveil the nameplate in his father’s honor, which read: “Given by those who benefited from your vision, which led so many Breams to Liberty.”

“When I look at Liberty and the impact it has made, it was maybe the best choice I have ever made in my life,” Dave Bream said. “Dr. Falwell is quoted as saying, ‘God is not impressed with buildings, budgets, or programs. The only thing in this world that impresses God is people.’ To see the lives that have been impacted here is truly amazing, and I just appreciate Dad having that same vision for our family … all the way down to Shaley and Jamie who are still here.”

Sheldon and Sid shared similar testimonies of the legacy their uncle started with a simple act that has affected generations to come.

“Uncle Leroy, the (letter) you wrote to Dr. Falwell … got Sid down here and started the Bream pipeline,” Sheldon Bream said. “Liberty literally changed my life. Of course, with the academic degree that I earned here, which you always encouraged us to pursue, but so much more important is the spiritual aspect and just how my walk with the Lord improved … and of course, the icing on the cake was meeting Shannon.”

He quoted the Rev. Billy Graham saying, “‘The greatest legacy one can pass on to their family is not money or other material things, but rather a legacy of character and faith,’ and that’s exactly what you’ve done for our family, so thank you.”

Tyler Bream, Sid’s son who played third base for the Flames before being drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2011, played a key role in having the radio booth named for his father as a Christmas present in 2019.

“Driving around today, seeing all of the new things that have been built, it took my breath away,” he said. “This was my first time really getting to tour the stadium (which opened in 2013). Unfortunately, I never got to play here, but it is amazing and Coach (Scott) Jackson is doing an unbelievable job now of leading the team. He has his priorities in order, and I’m excited to see where they go. As you drive onto campus, it just looks like a place that you could say, ‘How could any student not want to come to school here?’”

Sid Bream said when people have asked him who his heroes are, he would always say his dad and his uncle Leroy, who he loved to watch pitch and play center field, respectively, on the same sandlot baseball team when he was growing up.

Another was Worthington, who was inducted into the same 2010 Athletics Hall of Fame class as his sister, Theresa Bream, a standout women’s volleyball (1987-90) and basketball (1990-93) player for the Lady Flames.

“I am so thankful for (Worthington), a man who not only taught me a whole lot about the game of baseball, but he taught me about how to love and take care of my wife and a lot of other things,” Sid Bream said. “He was a true man of God who loved his family and loved playing the game and teaching the game.”

He was honored to be back at his alma mater and looks forward to returning to Liberty Baseball Stadium and tuning into radio broadcasts of the Flames’ games in the future.

“It has been a blessing to be able to stay in touch with Liberty and to see the growth of all that has taken place,” Sid Bream said. “To go from the days of meeting in a tent to where it is today, it is unbelievable how God has been faithful to this place, and I just continue to pray that God will keep His hand on it and continue to change lives through this school.”

Jeff Alder, Liberty’s assistant director of athletics and the director of major gifts through the Flames Club, said it was a blessing to have the Bream family on campus for the dedications.

“The Bream family has played a significant role in the growth and success of our Athletics Department and we are blessed by their willingness to partner with Liberty and leave an imprint on our campus with these two legacy gifts,” he said.

> To learn more about naming opportunities and how to leave a legacy for a family member or loved one, please contact Jeff Alder at (434) 473-9214,  jtalder@liberty.edu, or visit LibertyFlames.com/LegacyGiving.