Come, behold the majesty of fake Andy Reid
By Chris Chase, Yahoo Sports
If you're one of the few people who stuck with Monday night's blowout until the end, you were treated to the sight of fake Andy Reid. If you had long since changed the channel away from the Philadelphia Eagles' 31-point victory over the Washington Redskins, enjoy:
Fake Andy Reid (left) is actually Steve Odabashian, a 41-year old lawyer living in Philadelphia. Odabashian is your run-of-the-mill antitrust lawyer who dresses up as an NFL head coach in his free time in addition to pursuing a career in comedy, all while being fluent in Armenian and conversant in Japanese.
We contacted Odabashian on Wednesday and he was kind enough to respond to some of our questions via email. Odabashian started dressing like Reid in 2003 when he was entered in a contest held by a local clothing company. In order to give himself something extra to win the competition, Odabashian put on an Eagles coat and hat, made a mustache using rouge and completed the ensemble with a fake headset. When it was done, he was amazed at how much he looked like Reid. Though he ended up losing that contest, the company started using Odabashian for promotional events. Once Philadelphia made the Super Bowl in 2004, Steve was sent, all expenses paid.
In real life, the lawyer says he's not much like Reid at all. "I am pretty gregarious and outgoing," he said. "It is sometimes hard to channel him when I dress like him I try not to smile, and I have to squint a little." As for the similar frames of the two men, Odabashian says he has to stuff his coat to look like the coach. He says he and Reid are "probably 100 pounds apart."
Mimicking Reid during his off-hours doesn't affect Odabashian at work either. "I have never thrown a red challenge flag in court." His Facebook page doesn't mention whether he channels Reid in the courtroom and makes ridiculous objections that are easily overruled by the judge.