The Greatest Hairstyles in Sports History

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Like anything else, hairstyles have changed and styles have shifted over the past 50 years. From the Princeton to the Faux-Hawk, we are constantly changing our opinions and ideas of what is fashionable. Athletes sometimes adhere to the rules of fashion and style, but some prefer to bang to the beat of a different drum. This is a list that compiles some of sports more memorable individuals and the hairdos they sported when they were atop their game.

Ben Wallace

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Ben Wallace rose to fame with the Pistons in the early to middle 2000's. His blue collar attitude and work ethic made him very popular among the fans of Detroit. If his defense and rebounding made him popular then it was his enormous afro that gave him nation wide publicity. "Fear the Fro" became a common tag line whenever teams would arrive in Detroit to play the Pistons

Randy Johnson

The "Big Unit" was one of the most feared pitchers of the 90's and 2000's. He stood nearly 7 feet tall and had a fastball that clocked out at nearly 100 miles per hour and on top of that, he was known as having quite a temper. Johnson's long locks only contributed to his status as someone who was to be feared and admired. Looking like a recent prison escapee, Randy Johnson was someone to steer clear of.

Dennis Rodman

Another one time Detroit Piston makes the list, there must be something in the water around the "motor city".

Dennis Rodman, like Ben Wallace, was a blue collar player who was known for his work ethic and his amazing ability to grabbing rebounds (particularly for someone of his relatively small size), but Rodman was slowly became famous for strange and outlandish behavior, especially his bizarre appearance. Throughout the 90's when the Bulls were winning titles, Rodman was changing his hair color after nearly every game and experimented with almost every color imaginable. To say that Rodman was a believer in free expression would be an understatement.

Troy Polamalu

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Troy Polamalu is arguably the best defensive player in the NFL, what cannot be argued is that his hair is some of the finest that the NFL has ever seen. His long flowing locks have become a staple in the ever tough Steeler defense. He is willing to admit that his hair is not your everyday look and has been parodied several times by teammates and in commercials.

Chris "Birdman" Andersen

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Admittedly, I did not really want to include the "Birdman" on this list because I am not a fan of his demeanor and thuggish persona, but with a faux-hawk gelled to stand nearly four inches, he had to be placed on this list.

Chris Andersen is truly a sight for sore eyes. His entire body is tattooed and his stands straight up as if he were very frightened. I suspect he spends more time preparing his appearance for games then he does actually playing in them. You would hard pressed to find another athlete with hair like this in any other sport, unless you spend time at your towns local skate park.

Andre Agassi

Long before Andre Agassi shaved his head and developed more of a clean cut imagine, there was the 80's. In the 1980's Agassi's hair ran clear down to shoulders and resembled a lions mane. To his defense, we often look back at the eighties and laugh, but the same thing will be done to us a few scores from now. Agassi was an all or nothing type of person and decided that if he was not going to have the luscious hair of a women then he would have none at all.

Pat Riley

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Another flashback to the 1980's!

Pat Riley is one of the greatest NBA coaches in the history of the game, but even more legendary than his sideline demeanor is his slicked back "Don Johnson" hairstyle. Pat Riley established himself as very successful coach with the "Showtime Lakers" and New York Knicks and his hair has always been a topic of hot debate. Just how much gel was required if one desired such a look? He will never divulge the answer to that question. The most impressive part of Riley's look is that he did not bail on it like Agassi did. He kept the slicked back style far longer than it was in style because he knew what a good thing he had.

Jaromir Jagr

This one might be the worst.

In the eighties and nineties, Jaromir Jagr sported a mullet that would have put Kenny Powers to shame.

I will be the first to admit that I know very little of hockey or of Jagr himself. But I do know that he is still playing, so must not be banned from the sport of hockey for this atrocious hairstyle.

It looks like something that a prom date might have showed up to your house with if you grew up in the John Hughes era. Jagr takes the cake. Actually, he takes the whole bakery.