Beware the Bespectacled: An Ode to Rec Specs, the Four-Eyed Athlete and a Dying Breed

We consider ourselves so much more than mere 30-something bloggers. Our mission is to not just share our perspectives on sports but educate and enlighten a younger generation of fans.

In that spirit, today, we honor the bespectacled. Yes, all you young whipper-snappers out there. Long before the import of blogs and other modern wiz-bang technology, something as seemingly benign as poor eyesight was a bit more difficult to address. And athletes were no different than the rest of us.

Before fancy sport-specific contact lenses and lasic surgery became commonplace, athletes had to go a less sophisticated route to see the ball, pitch or pass...they had to go four-eyes -- whether that meant sport goggles, good-ole fashioned eyeglasses or the infamous Rec Specs (modeled above).

Sure, there are a few "modern-day" athletes who rock fancy-schmancy tinted shades that are more aerodynamic than a spaceship. We see and hear you Bo Outlaw, Kelvim Escobar, Jose Vizcaino and Eric Gagne. But this here blog post is for the few, the proud, and the bespectacled of whom we have the fondest personal memories...those who really brought it in the realm of spectacles. Newbies, read and learn. As one purveyor of t-shirts decried, always fear the Rec Specs.

Eric Dickerson

Dickerson was solid gold for the Rams in the mid-80s, setting records and breaking off long runs where he seemed to effortlessly accelerate past DBs. Oh yes, he is also arguably the greatest NFL player to ever don eyewear in game action. 2-9 had the yellow-bordered old-school Rec Specs and didn't care what anyone thought. He also could make the All Soul-Glo team should we ever decide to put it together. By the way, did anyone else forget that Dickerson went to the Raiders and then Atlanta before calling it quits?

Kent Tekulve

In addition to packing enormous lippers, Tekulve was a submarine-style relief pitcher for the Bucos and a teammate of Legend namesake Cecilio Guante. He also wore big, dark shades at all times -- including on the mound. Besides the money glasses, Tekulve was cool to watch because his knuckles scraped the mound on every delivery.

Antoine Carr

'Toine was nicknamed the Big Dog and played for 16 years in the NBA on 75 different teams. At one point, he could score in the post. However, as Wikipedia accurately relates, Carr was "known for the sunglass shades he wore onto the court." Wikipedia also lists his weight as 225, which is only about 100 lbs off...

Charlie Kerfeld

As a Mets fan in the mid-80s, this man actually caused me some measure of trepidation, particularly in the 1986 NLCS. Kerfeld was a 6'6 dude who came out of the pen and threw pretty hard. However, apparently Kerfeld didn't scare anyone much after that season. Check out the stat line. Following Kerfeld's 11-2 '86 season, he didn't log more than 40 innings in any other season and toiled in the minors for three years before briefly re-surfacing in 1990 and then retiring.

Horace Grant

"Ho" Grant, as we was affectionately known, racked up three rings with a small bit of assistance from his airness, before leaving Chicago for that new NBA franchise in Orlando. Grant hit the boards hard, played solid D and could knock down an open jumper from 15 ft. and in. And how about those awesome sport goggles! He reminds me of one of those Wayans brothers in that movie Blankman. Speaking of brothers, Ho had one named Harvey who also played in the NBA. He did not rock awesome protective eyewear like his brother. Therefore, he is not pictured here.

Kurt Rambis

Say bespectacled athlete and most folks may conjure up an image of Kurt Rambis. Rambis sported the Ricky Vaughan-style black framed glasses. Kurt was nasty on the boards and also sported a porn mustache throughout his career. He's now cleaned up and on the sidelines as an assistant coach for the Lake show. BO-ring.

Mookie Wilson

Mookie was one of my favorite Mets. He was a tasmanian devil on the base paths and watching him leg out a triple was a thing of beauty. For you young bucks, imagine Jose Reyes. It was kind of like that. A flash, a flying helmet and a cloud of dust. As anyone who has the 1986 Year to Remember video (I know you're out there), you'll recall that Mookie also went all Maverick with the aviator shades. "Did it break the glass? Did it break the glass? Oh g-d, it did..."

Perhaps the most memorable of them all was Chris Sabo. The former Reds third baseman came out of nowhere to win the Rookie of the Year in 1988 before going on to make the All-Star team on three different occasions. Through it all, Sabo unabashedly wore his trademark Rec Specs. Apparently, they were from Lens Crafters. Wherever he got them, they looked gooood.



We're undoubtedly missing a ton of legends. Leave us your fondest four-eyed athletes in the comments. And keep the memory alive...think about the children.