As long as professional sports have been around, there have been interesting and entertaining players. In team sports, individualism can often be stifled, especially when it comes to fashion. Players must all wear the same uniform, so there is not much room for expression — except with hair.
Players often have sported interesting hairstyles, but these are typically obscured by hats, helmets, or headbands. Facial hair, however, is usually visible, so some athletes have decided over the years to grow some very interesting beards and mustaches.
Just like the rest of the world, facial hair fashions in sports come and go. Lots of old-timey baseball players from the 19th century like Will White and Old Hoss Radbourn had thick handlebar mustaches. Many athletes from the 1970s had sideburns, while those from the ’80s had Magnum, P.I.-style mustaches. More recently, long, thick beards seem to be in vogue. For instance, players like James Harden and Brian Wilson have adopted the mountain man look as their signature style.
24/7 Wall St. reviewed photos of professional athletes to determine the 50 players with the greatest facial hair in sports history.
Click here to see the greatest facial hair in sports history.
Baseball players have an disproportionately high number of spots on this list for a few reasons. Chiefly, professional baseball has been around longer than basketball, hockey, or football, so there is a deeper history of players.
Football players aren’t as renowned for wild facial hair, possibly because mustaches and beards are obscured by face masks and chin straps, but players like Eric Weddle and Ryan Fitzpatrick still make the list with huge bushy beards.
Hockey players also make up much of the list, as they tend to take the hair on their heads and faces very seriously. Hockey is also responsible for one of the great facial hair traditions in sports — the playoff beard. It is believed that the New York Islanders dynasty of the early 1980s started the tradition of NHL players refusing to shave while playing in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Just about every hockey player now participates in this tradition, with varying levels of success. Some hockey players like Brent Burns keep long beards year-round, while others like Sidney Crosby can never get much facial hair to grow.
This list is by no means comprehensive. There have been more than 19,000 professional baseball players alone, and some pro athletes with exciting facial hair are bound to slip through the cracks or just not quite make the cut for the top 50. Players are listed alphabetically.
The teams listed for each player are in many cases not an exhaustive list of every franchise that he has played for. The teams listed in each player profile were determined by either how much time he spent on those teams compared to others, or where the player had his best statistical years. The player’s career was determined by the year in which he made his debut and the year in which he played his final game. Both team and career information came from the Sports Reference family of websites.
1. Antonio Garay
> League: NFL
> Teams known for: Cleveland Browns, Chicago Bears, San Diego Chargers
> Career: 2003-2012
2. Baron Davis
> League: NBA
> Teams known for: Charlotte Hornets, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers
> Career: 1999-2012
3. Brent Burns
> League: NHL
> Teams known for: Minnesota Wild, San Jose Sharks
> Career: 2003-present
4. Brett Keisel
> League: NFL
> Teams known for: Pittsburgh Steelers
> Career: 2002-2014
5. Brian Wilson
> League: MLB
> Teams known for: San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers
> Career: 1956-1969
6. Bruce Sutter
> League: MLB
> Teams known for: Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, Atlanta Braves
> Career: 1976-1988
7. Bryce Harper
> League: MLB
> Team: Washington Nationals
> Career: 2012-present
8. Cal Clutterbuck
> League: NHL
> Teams known for: Minnesota Wild, New York Islanders
> Career: 2007-present
9. Carlos Boozer
> League: NBA
> Teams known for: Cleveland Cavaliers, Utah Jazz, Chicago Bulls
> Career: 2002-2015
10. Charlie Blackmon
> League: MLB
> Team: Colorado Rockies
> Career: 2011-present
11. Chris Anderson
> League: NBA
> Teams known for: Denver Nuggets, Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers
> Career: 2001-2017
12. Dallas Keuchel
> League: MLB
> Team: Houston Astros
> Career: 2012-present
13. Drew Gooden
> League: NBA
> Teams known for: Cleveland Cavaliers, Milwaukee Bucks, Washington Wizards
> Career: 2002-2016
14. Eddie Murray
> League: MLB
> Teams known for: Baltimore Orioles, Los Angeles Dodgers, Cleveland Indians
> Career: 1977-1997
15. Enes Kanter
> League: NBA
> Teams known for: Utah Jazz, Oklahoma City Thunder, New York Knicks
> Career: 2011-present
16. Eric Weddle
> League: NFL
> Teams known for: San Diego Chargers, Baltimore Ravens
> Career: 2007-present
17. George Parros
> League: NHL
> Teams known for: Anaheim Ducks, Los Angeles Kings, Montreal Canadiens
> Career: 2005-2014
18. Goose Gossage
> League: MLB
> Teams known for: Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees, San Diego Padres
> Career: 1972-1994
19. Ian Cole
> League: NHL
> Teams known for: St. Louis Blues, Pittsburgh Penguins, Columbus Blue Jackets
> Career: 2010-present
20. James Harden
> League: NBA
> Teams known for: Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets
> Career: 2009-present
21. Jared Allen
> League: NFL
> Teams known for: Kansas City Chiefs, Minnesota Vikings, Carolina Panthers
> Career: 2004-2015
22. Jason Kelce
> League: NFL
> Team: Philadelphia Eagles
> Career: 2011-present
23. Jayson Werth
> League: MLB
> Teams known for: Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, Washington Nationals
> Career: 2002-2017
24. Jeff Bagwell
> League: MLB
> Team: Houston Astros
> Career: 1991-2005
25. Joe Greene
> League: NFL
> Team: Pittsburgh Steelers
> Career: 1969-1981
26. Joe Thornton
> League: NHL
> Teams known for: Boston Bruins, San Jose Sharks
> Career: 1997-present
27. John Axford
> League: MLB
> Teams known for: Milwaukee Brewers, Oakland Athletics
> Career: 2009-present
28. Jonas Valanciunas
> League: NBA
> Team: Toronto Raptors
> Career: 2012-present
29. Justin Turner
> League: MLB
> Teams known for: Baltimore Orioles, New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers
> Career: 2009-present
30. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
> League: NBA
> Teams known for: Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers
> Career: 1969-1989
31. Keith Hernandez
> League: MLB
> Teams known for: St. Louis Cardinals, New York Mets, Cleveland Indians
> Career: 1974-1990
32. Kevin Quackenbush
> League: MLB
> Teams known for: San Diego Padres, Cincinnati Reds
> Career: 2014-present
33. Lanny McDonald
> League: NHL
> Teams known for: Toronto Maple Leafs, Colorado Rockies, Calgary Flames
> Career: 1973-1989
34. LeBron James
> League: NBA
> Teams known for: Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, Los Angeles Lakers
> Career: 2003-present
35. Michael Cage
> League: NBA
> Teams known for: Los Angeles Clippers, Seattle SuperSonics, Cleveland Cavaliers
> Career: 1984-2000
36. Mike Commodore
> League: NHL
> Teams known for: Carolina Hurricanes, Columbus Blue Jackets, New Jersey Devils
> Career: 2000-2012
37. Mike Gminski
> League: NBA
> Teams known for: New Jersey Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, Charlotte Hornets
> Career: 1980-1994
38. Mike Napoli
> League: MLB
> Teams known for: Los Angeles Angels, Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox
> Career: 2006-present
39. Nikola Mirotic
> League: NBA
> Teams known for: Chicago Bulls, New Orleans Pelicans
> Career: 2014-present
40. Old Hoss Radbourn
> League: MLB
> Teams known for: Providence Grays, Boston Beaneaters
> Career: 1881-1891
41. Phil Kessel
> League: NHL
> Teams known for: Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Pittsburgh Penguins
> Career: 2006-present
42. Quincy Acy
> League: NBA
> Teams known for: Sacramento Kings, New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets
> Career: 2012-present
43. Robin Yount
> League: MLB
> Team: Milwaukee Brewers
> Career: 1974-1993
44. Rollie Fingers
> League: MLB
> Teams known for: Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres, Milwaukee Brewers
> Career: 1968-1985
45. Ryan Fitzpatrick
> League: NFL
> Teams known for: Buffalo Bills, Houston Texans, New York Jets
> Career: 2005-present
46. Steven Adams
> League: NBA
> Team: Oklahoma City Thunder
> Career: 2013-present
47. Travis Frederick
> League: NFL
> Team: Dallas Cowboys
> Career: 2013-present
49. Will White
> League: MLB
> Teams known for: Cincinnati Reds, Boston Red Stockings
> Career: 1877-1886
49. Will White
> League: MLB
> Team: Cincinnati Reds
> Career: 1877-1886
50. Wilt Chamberlain
> League: NBA
> Teams known for: Philadelphia Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Lakers
> Career: 1959-1973