The best sports mustaches of all time

Minshew’s mustache clearly gives him power; without it, he was an anonymous college quarterback. With it, he broke records at Washington State, got drafted by the Jaguars and defied pundits by stepping in for injured starter Nick Foles and posting a 98.8 passer rating through his first eight games. Minshew’s look, which includes a headband and a soul patch, has won him thousands of fans, but the Jaguars learned a hard lesson about commercializing his ‘stache. They gave out 35,000 mustaches before an Oct. 13 game against New Orleans, and Minshew responded with his worst game as a pro, going 14-of-29 for no touchdowns and an interception. With great mustache power, comes great mustache responsibility.

Mengden was nothing special for the Athletics in 2019, posting a 4.83 ERA in 13 games, and he has had an up-and-down career through four big league seasons, but his mustache, a glorious homage to Rollie Fingers, was MVP-caliber. The ‘stache and Mengden’s old-school windup have made him popular, even if his pitching hasn’t quite been able to keep up. It is worth noting that Mengden shaved off the mustache within the last few weeks. Did it give him power, or did it hold him back? 2020 may be the year we find out.

Zavada had but a mere one season of big-league action before Tommy John surgery derailed his career. He appeared in 49 games with Arizona in the 2009 season, and his work was perfectly acceptable, if nondescript. His mustache was anything but. It too was a homage to Rollie Fingers, though because of Zavada’s darker hair and the way he wore his hat low on his head, he also managed to pull off “Old West gunfighter” as well. The ‘stache may have had but one season, but it lives on in the minds of baseball fans — OK, mustache fans —everywhere.

Punter at East Carolina is a pretty anonymous position, as far as college football goes. If Jonn Young’s mustache has anything to say about it, that won’t be the case for long. This picture shows only the partial majesty of Young's 'stache, but there are others, and they are glorious. Is he the guy from the Pringles can? The Monopoly Man? A robber baron from the late-1800s? Or is he just some guy wearing a pocket watch at a train station? Who can say, really? What’s inarguable is that Young’s mustache is one of the best in sports history. Give his picture the black-and-white treatment, and you’d swear you were looking at a historical photo. He's played well, too, averaging 42.0 yards per punt this season.

Aaron Rodgers needs no introduction, as his accomplishments on the field speak for themselves. When it comes to facial hair, so does his mustache, which feels very Wisconsin-appropriate and is a far cry from his early days in the league. Rodgers used to sport something wispy and unimpressive, to go with longer, shaggier hair overall. Now the hair is short and the mustache is textbook, and if you threw a highway patrol uniform on him, it’s easy to imagine Rodgers pulling you over for expired tags or because “you were going pretty fast back there. In a hurry to get somewhere?” Considering some of the throws he’s made in recent weeks, maybe the mustache gives him power.

Any discussion of the best sports mustache of all time needs to start with Fingers, owner of a handlebar mustache as well as the 1981 AL Cy Young and MVP Awards. The reliever was a key cog on three World Series champion teams and forged a Hall of Fame career over 17 seasons with the Athletics, Padres and Brewers. But no amount of pitching excellence could match his perfectly groomed facial hair.

Perhaps it's something about relievers and mustaches, but Rich "Goose" Gossage rivaled Fingers both as a reliever and a facial hair grower. Over a 22-year career, Gossage led the league in saves three times, finished in the top five in Cy Young voting four times and was one of the league's best pitchers at a time when relievers were not seen as the weapons they are today. As for his horseshoe mustache, what it lacked in polish, it made up for in sheer majesty.

The 1979 NL MVP racked up 11 Gold Gloves, twice was a World Series champion and was a five-time All-Star. There is even a contingent that believes he belongs in the Hall of Fame. When it comes to his mustache, though, there is no debate: It's a classic. Hernandez's was a more classic, refined mustache — the kind you would imagine on a serious businessman in the 1980s. And Hernandez was all business, whether he was on the diamond or trying to woo Elaine Benes on "Seinfeld."

The Intimidator rocked a truly great mustache. Have you ever been yelled at by your dad? Probably. Was the scolding much more intense if he had a mustache vs. not? Definitely. That's the sort of profile Earnhardt cut. The mustache was part of the look, and the look screamed, "Don't mess with me if you know what's good for you." Earnhardt was, of course, a fantastic racer, winning the 1998 Daytona 500 as well as the NASCAR Winston Cup Series seven times.

Ditka, a member of both the Pro and College Football Halls of Fame, is one of football's classic tough guys, both for what he was as a player and a head coach. For most fans, though, it is the look he cultivated as the Bears head coach that stands the test of time. It was the hair, the sweater and of course, the mustache that made Ditka such an intimidating presence on the sideline. His 1985 Bears mirrored him, too, going 15-1 and winning the Super Bowl with a defense regarded by many as the best in NFL history for a single season.

Frazier, the fifth pick in the 1967 NBA Draft, is regarded as one of the best all-around guards of his or any other era. A 1987 inductee into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, he won two titles with the Knicks, and his Game 7 performance in 1970, one that saw him post 36 points, 19 assists, seven rebounds and six steals, is regarded as one of the best Game 7 performances of all time. Oh, and his mustache was a simple, elegant classic, made all the better by its pairing with some truly great mutton-chop sideburns.

McDonald tallied 1,006 points in a 16-year NHL career, including 500 goals, won the Stanley Cup with the Flames in 1989 and was a consistent offensive performer. All of that was secondary to his mustache, one of the greatest, perhaps the single greatest, in sports history. McDonald's lip accessory was red and bushy and seemed to adhere to laws of gravity all on its own. It gave McDonald the appearance of a sort of angry physics professor or an eccentric scientist in a disaster movie. Either way, it might give Rollie Fingers' mustache a run for its money.

Eckersley's 24-year career saw him make the transition from successful starter (he won 20 games for Boston in 1978) to elite reliever (he led the AL in saves twice, in 1988 and 1992) with aplomb. Eckersley won the Cy Young and MVP for the Athletics in 1992, and he won a World Series with the A's in 1989. He also maintained a marvelous mustache, made all the better when combined with a flowing mane of hair that was more male model than mullet. The mustache tied the whole look together and doubtless helped make Eckersley lights out in almost every situation, except...

...when he ran up against a stronger, more powerful mustache, like the one Kirk Gibson sported for his only at-bat of the 1988 World Series. Gibson, that year's NL MVP, was hobbled badly by injuries to both knees but managed to hit an improbable two-out, full-count home run off Eckersley to turn a 4-3 deficit into a 5-4 win that sent the Dodgers to a four-game sweep. If Eckersley's look and mustache were refined, Gibson's vibe was more that of a barroom brawler who hadn't shaved in a few days. His mustache was solid and still managed to stick out even with Gibson's persistent five o'clock shadow.

Ewing eventually went full goatee, but for most of his early career he sported a clean, impeccably groomed mustache. His was more impressive for its sharp lines and efficient look — fitting for a player who could throw down fearless dunks with the best of them but was equally comfortable working over opponents with a reliable mid-range jump shooting game. In addition to being one of the best college players ever during his time at Georgetown, Ewing averaged 21.0 points and 9.8 rebounds per game for his career to go along with 2.4 blocks. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008. 

Reid, one of the best offensive minds in NFL history and currently terrorizing the league with Patrick Mahomes, also sports one of the best mustaches around. Reid's is bushy, red and looks like something that the coach doesn't spend much time worrying about. After all, he is coming up with game plans that terrorize opposing defensive coordinators and head coaches alike. Reid has never won a Super Bowl, but his career winning percentage of .609 is fourth among active coaches with at least 100 games.

You may be aware that the New York Yankees have a pretty strict rule about facial hair. Specifically, it's an "appearance policy" that started in 1973 after George Steinbrenner saw that several players' hair covered their numbers during the playing of the "The Star-Spangled Banner." "Donnie Baseball" hated the policy and defied it until he was benched as a result. Mattingly eventually settled on rocking a mustache, which was permitted under the policy, and the look suited the career .307 hitter quite well. Ironically, when Mattingly took over as manager of the Marlins, he instituted a facial hair ban of his own, though it was lifted a year later.

The decorated Olympic swimmer excelled in the pool despite hair typically being seen as something that held people back in the water. Spitz was so good, collecting seven gold medals at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, a record for a single Olympics that stood until Michael Phelps broke it at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Spitz totaled nine gold medals in all, and is one of only five athletes to win nine or more golds in an Olympic career. He also cleaned up in endorsements after his career ended, which, let's face it, is probably attributable to his mustache.

Parros' current job heading up the Department of Player Safety in the NHL is a pretty ironic one, given his long, mostly undistinguished career as an enforcer. Parros' 15 goals and 13 assists are his numbers for his entire nine-year career, not one season. Still, he led or was near the top of the league in terms of his mustache game. Parros looked sort of like an Old West gunfighter — someone who would not have been out of place on the set of "Tombstone." Given that he was one of the league's most dangerous players, it seems an apt comparison.

Stadler has one of the great nicknames in sports, "The Walrus," and one of the finest mustaches as well. The exceedingly popular golfer, whose build did nothing to dispel the criticism that golfers aren't real athletes, won the 1982 Masters and was the PGA Tour's leading money winner that year. He also posted top-10 finishes in every other major and won the Tour Championship in 1991. While Stadler has gone with a goatee look in recent years, his mustache-only look was a classic in sports history.

Bird doesn't sport a mustache anymore, which is a real shame because his wispy, blond lip accompaniment was very much in fashion in the 1980s. If anyone gave him a hard time about it on the court, there's no doubt that Bird, one of the greatest trash talkers in sports history, humiliated them in return and then let them know about it. For his career, Bird averaged 24.3 points, 10 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game and is widely regarded as one of the best players of all time as well as one of the most ferociously competitive.

One imagines Tiant, depending on whether he was smiling or scowling, being cast as either a jovial hero or an evil villain in the movies because his mustache was that versatile. Tiant led the AL in ERA in 1968 with Cleveland and again in 1972 with Boston. He won 229 games and posted a 3.30 ERA in a career that spanned 19 seasons, and he twice finished in the top five in Cy Young voting. His mustache was similar in style to Goose Gossage's, though Gossage's flared out more, where Tiant's was narrower as it sloped toward his chin. Excellent pitcher; excellent mustache.

Known more for the mullet-style hair that flowed from the back of his cap as well as a high-90s fastball and wipeout slider, The Big Unit also possessed a phenomenal mustache as part of his menacing look. When you consider what it must be like to face a 6-foot-10 pitcher, who looks sort of crazy and throws the kind of stuff Johnson could, it's no wonder he finished his Hall of Fame career with 303 wins, five Cy Young Awards, including four in a row, and a World Series title. Had Johnson pitched a few more years and had a better start to his career, he could have realistically challenged Nolan Ryan's all-time strikeout record.

The Zen Master rocked a sweet 'stache back in his playing days with the Knicks, and the mop of curly hair he had on top of his head merely completed the look. As a coach, Jackson still maintained the mustache, though it did not have the same majesty as it did during his playing days. He went to a soul patch for a while, too, but let's not discuss that. Jackson has 11 titles as a coach, most in NBA history, and was known for getting the most out of superstars like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. His time as Knicks team president? Ehh, let's not discuss that.

Mr. October sported a magnificent mustache and one that was capable of fitting any situation. In some pictures, it is immaculately groomed — a corporate mustache, if you will. In others, it is a bit wild and untamed, much like the swing that produced 2,597 career strikeouts, still an all-time record, but also 563 home runs and some of the most dramatic moments in postseason history. Jackson is one of the most legendary players to ever step foot in the batter's box, and his mustache deserves just as much respect.

The Mad Hungarian finished in the top-five in NL Cy Young voting two years in a row and was both one of the best and most feared relievers in baseball during his heyday. The mustache, a beautiful number that made him look like the leader of an outlaw bicycle gang, probably contributed to the "feared" part of that dynamic. Hrabosky led the league in saves in 1975 and was a reliable late-inning pitcher long before the days of bullpen specialization.

The only Bobby Valentine picture that matters is the one of him in disguise. He doesn't have a mustache in any other picture, and the "mustache" in that particular June 1999 incident was merely a few eyeblack stickers fashioned together in the shape of a mustache. Still, the visual of Valentine returning to the dugout and trying to pull a fast one after having been ejected is one of the most humorous in recent baseball history.

There's something going on with mustaches and fearsome players, evidently. Lambert was not the best player on Pittsburgh's "Steel Curtain" defense — that would be Joe Greene — but he was the soul of it and still a Hall of Fame performer in his own right. Lambert was violent, had plenty of attitude and intimidated with a mere stare. And his blond mustache, coupled with several missing teeth, created one of the most iconic "looks" in professional sports history. When you think "middle linebacker," the image that pops to mind is probably Lambert's angry snarl.

Maybe you think Giambi doesn't belong on this list. Maybe you think his mustache is pedestrian compared to that of, say, Sal Fasano, who isn't on this list. I beg to differ. Giambi's well-manicured look is an example of what happens when a man known for his untamed, wild hair and facial stylings joins the buttoned-up corporate world — in this case, the Yankees. Giambi never missed a beat in terms of his look, cutting his hair but letting everyone know that his A's days were never completely gone. The 2000 AL MVP, despite getting plenty of criticism from Yankees fans, was nearly as productive a player in pinstripes as he was with Oakland.

Mike "Fluff" Cowan is not an athlete, but he was Tiger Woods' first caddie, and while dealing with Tiger seems to take its toll on everyone who carries the bag, "Fluff" and his mustache were the perfect complement to the guy taking the golf and sports world by storm in the late 1990s. Cowan's 'stache calls to mind a character from "Walker, Texas Ranger," or some show about life in the Old West, and when you think of Tiger's early career, it's likely that "Fluff" is one of the first images that pops to mind.

AB, what on earth is that thing? What were you trying to do? It’s like Hulk Hogan's and Paul Teutul’s (of "American Chopper" and "Orange County Choppers" fame) mustaches had a little mustache baby, and that mustache was ugly and surgically attached itself to Brown’s face. It was a terrible, ridiculous poorly thought-out look and, therefore, was in many ways the perfect facial hair choice for Brown. The currently unemployed wide receiver makes himself impossible to ignore because of his social media presence, but let us hope he never subjects us to that ‘stache again.

Every group has the guy who will do anything on a dare. Sometimes it’s funny, and sometimes it’s not, but when it’s not, he insists that it is, no matter what anyone says. Let’s be charitable and say that Fiers is that guy in his group of friends, or Athletics teammates in this case, and that he was telling the truth when he said he did it simply to give his teammates a chuckle. Let’s also say that the mustache, which resembled the letter G, the numbers 6 or 9, or a question mark, if you turned your head mostly upside down, should never make a return appearance no matter how boring September baseball gets.

Morrison’s NBA career was not good. The third overall pick in the 2006 draft played in just 161 career games, and while he showed some promise as a rookie, a knee injury robbed him of the following season, and he was never really the same. The only thing worse than his time in the pros was his painfully terrible mustache. It, and Morrison’s overall look, came straight out of a 1970s adult film, and the mustache, a wispy, thin, oddly colored strip of hair, somehow got worse-looking the more closely it was inspected. Some great college stars have playing styles that don’t translate well to the pros. Morrison’s mustache didn’t translate well at any level.

Crosby is one of the five greatest hockey players who has ever lived, and if he plays long enough, he might thrust himself into the greatest of all time discussion. One discussion he’ll never enter is that of greatest mustaches in sports history. Playoff beards are revered in the NHL, but the league’s greatest player can’t grow anything approaching one. When he and the Penguins won the 2009 Stanley Cup, there was some sort of hideous dirt on his upper lip that he managed to play through for months. He was 21 then, which made it somewhat understandable. He’s now in his early 30s, and the ‘stache has filled out, but it’s just as ugly. Sid, you’re the face of hockey. If you want to go clean-shaven, no one can stop you. Just saying.

Fleury is one of the most well-liked players in hockey and one of its most athletic, accomplished goalies. That said, his mustache is atrocious — a soft goal in a Game 7, you might say. It somewhat looks like he was trying to do the facial hair from "V For Vendetta," but he smiles too much to pull off the look in its entirety. Fleury, like his former Penguins teammate Crosby, is someone who should just go with the clean-shaven look and thumb his nose at hockey’s traditions. Plus, goalies are different as is; no one would question him if he said that having a mustache was bad luck, or something.