Coolest Beards in Sports: The Top Five

Who wears the coolest beards in sports?

It's a question many fans probably never put a lot of thought into. In fact, the beard has kind of disappeared in lieu of the goatee these days. So those who do wear a sports beard usually stand out from the crowd. Not everyone can pull it off. There are some athletes who have made the look quite trendy. With that in mind, here are my top five coolest beards in sports.

1) Brian Wilson/San Francisco Giants
Wilson made a name for himself by closing the door for the final out in the 2010 World Series. The Giants' relief pitcher has also made a name for himself with his now well-known and what appears to be a dark black beard. Is it the coolest in the sports world? It just may be. Chances are pretty good that it is currently the most well known sports beard. Wilson is one of the top relievers in Major League Baseball. His beard seems quite intimidating as he takes to the mound. There's something about relief pitchers in baseball where they can pull it off and get away with such a look. According to the New York Times, Wilson also prompted a "Fear the Beard" slogan in San Francisco. Not many other players have brought about such publicity to a sports beard. Wilson is taking the beard where not many other athletes could have. If his beard had a name, it would be "prime time" because it seems to shine in the lights and fit his persona quite well.

2) Baron Davis/Cleveland
Baron Davis has sported his trendy sports beard since his collegiate days at UCLA. The Baron Davis beard is one of the few such looks you'll see on the hardwood of the NBA. There's even a YouTube spoof running around that indicates Baron might sell his beard to the highest bidder. Here is a picture of the now well-known Davis beard. Davis always manages to keep his beard so well trimmed that it looks flawless even in the heat of an NBA battle.

3) Phil Jackson/Los Angeles Lakers
Not only is Jackson one of the greatest coaches ever in the NBA, the Lakers' head coach also sports one of the coolest beards in sports. Jackson has opted to shave the beard from time to time. His signature look though almost always includes the sports beard. Here is a picture of the great Jackson beard that will probably never be equaled by a fellow NBA coach in trim and cleanliness. Some probably think that Jackson just doesn't look like himself without the beard.

4) Kimbo Slice/Ultimate Fighter
Kimbo doesn't need a beard to look intimidating. Slice though adds a bit of flavor to his mystique as a UFC fighter. Nobody probably ever wanted to mess with Mr. T or Kimbo Slice because of the way he wore his beard. If you don't believe Slice can be intimidating, check out this picture of his dazzling yet scary sports beard.

5) Johnny Damon/Tampa Bay Rays
Damon may appear without a beard these days. However, no one will ever forget the cool beard he sported when with the Boston Red Sox. The beard took on a life of its own. There were critics who wanted Damon to shave it off and finally got their wish. Now the beard is gone and so is the uniqueness of one of the greatest and most talked about sports beards of all time. In 2004, Damon actually shaved off his well-known beard for charity.

Other great sports beards?

Randy Moss, Ben Roethlisberger, Dan Fouts, Franco Harris, Emmit Smith and Jayson Werth have all sported beards at one point during their respective careers. The list goes on an one but it seems quite rare to see a beard in sports as we march toward 2012. These kind of things tend to go in cycles but it seems every generation has been awarded a sports character with a beard.

What is it about the sports beard that makes for such a compelling story? It just adds a little extra character that makes the fans at home a little more curious about that particular athlete. In other words, the beard sometimes sets some athletes who would otherwise be considered average apart from the others.

Who knows? Maybe our next great bearded athlete is munching on popcorn as a 13-year-old watching Brian Wilson notch save after save.