Long before Lasik Eye Surgery existed, Rec Specs and/or standard glasses were the defining characteristic of many athletes.  Before the spectacled athlete becomes extinct, let’s look at the 10 best:

#10 – Eric Gagne

Gagne was a dominant closer earlier in the decade thanks to his prescription Oakley’s.

#9 Darrell Porter

Porter had a thing for being unique.  Besides being one of the few catchers in the 70’s to rock specs, he’d occasionally bat with one hand and was an initial athlete to admit to substance abuse.

#8 James Worthy

Worthy didn’t intentionally originate the Stefan Urkel look, he was forced to wear protective eyewear for the duration of his career after suffering an eye injury in 1985.

#7 Horace Grant

Horace and his trademark Rec Specs won 4 NBA championships.  Nicely done.

#6 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Kareem hated getting his eye scratched so much that he punched a hoop in 1974 after it happened, breaking his hand.  After that, he wore protective glasses for the rest of his career.

#5 Dom Dimaggio

Nicknamed “The Little Professor” due to his stature (5′9″) and glasses, he was moved to the outfield because they assumed one bad hop would ruin/slice his face.

#4 Kurt Rambis

If the internet existed in the 80’s, Rambis would have been an icon due to his thick mustache and even thicker glasses.  Since his unathletic nerd look is the reason everyone knows him, he gets a spot on this list above some superior athletes.

via SI Photo Vault

#3 Edgar Davids

Besides being one of the world’s greatest soccer players, Davids’ signature look helped him rise to fame.  Non-soccer fans may think it’s a fashion statement, but Davids has glaucoma, which requires him to wear protective eyewear.

#2 Eric Dickerson

Just when you start to laugh that the guy running the ball is wearing Rec Specs, he runs your ass over en route to 5 All-Pro selections and a Hall Of Fame career.

#1 Chris Sabo

Forget my Cincinnati bias, Sabo was the face of professional 4-eyed athletes.  He gave hope and confidence to kids everywhere that couldn’t hit a baseball because they didn’t want to be made fun of for wearing glasses.

Plus, you know you’ve made it once featured in LensCrafters ads (click for full size):

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Tags: chris sabo, dom dimagio, edgar davids, eric dickerson, eric gagne, horace grant, james worthy, kurt rambis, rec specs