# Most notable bespectacled athletes **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [October 12, 2020, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-notable-bespectacled-athletes/922763 "2020-10-12T04:53:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![stuccosuperstar2020](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@stuccosuperstar2020](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stuccosuperstar2020)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2020, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-notable-bespectacled-athletes/922763/1 "2020-10-12T04:53:29Z")
To qualify they must have worn glasses while playing. Safety goggles don’t count unless they are prescription (so don’t give a 100 name list of skiers) Outfielders wearing sunglasses once a week don’t count either. Here’s who I thought of: Kareem Abdul Jabbar Reggie Jackson Billie Jean King Also of note: Marcus Dupree Kurt Rambis Bob Griese ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2020, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-notable-bespectacled-athletes/922763/2 "2020-10-12T05:40:35Z")
[Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_bespectacled_baseball_players?wprov=sfti1)has an entire section on MLB players who wear/wore glasses ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2020, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-notable-bespectacled-athletes/922763/3 "2020-10-12T05:48:05Z")
A few more from football: - [Chuck Muncie](https://www.sfexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/muncie2.jpg) - [John Jefferson](https://cdn3.volusion.com/tvfbw.ukbgm/v/vspfiles/photos/10108-2.jpg) - [Eric Dickerson](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/8d6a795/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1849x1040+0+0/resize/1486x836!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F90%2Fc8%2F7677636c80200d2a86ee22f6e483%2Flat-sp-eric-dickerson-1-20140714) ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2020, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-notable-bespectacled-athletes/922763/4 "2020-10-12T05:56:01Z")
Another one: wide receiver/kick returner [Billy “White Shoes” Johnson](https://farm5.static.flickr.com/4136/4788213979_4c873c4999_o.png) sometimes wore glasses while playing. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2020, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-notable-bespectacled-athletes/922763/5 "2020-10-12T06:00:41Z")
And, from basketball: [Horace Grant](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/4ads7vaODzLy2X7XnyKBr9B74zM=/125x202:1994x2734/1220x813/filters:focal(861x1373:1187x1699):format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/66917990/72374584.0.jpg). Apparently, he originally wore them for vision correction (and was legally blind without them), but partway through his career, he had Lasik surgery, and didn’t need them anymore. But, as he had gotten many thanks from parents for wearing glasses while playing (which made kids who had to wear glasses feel that “glasses are cool”), he continued wearing non-prescription goggles. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2020, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-notable-bespectacled-athletes/922763/6 "2020-10-12T06:27:50Z")
Huh - I assumed James Worthy wore goggles for vision correction, but I just read that he wore them for protection after he suffered a scratched cornea. ---
**Author:** ![kk\_fusion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kk_fusion/32/15276_2.png) [@kk\_fusion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kk_fusion)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2020, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-notable-bespectacled-athletes/922763/7 "2020-10-12T06:48:17Z")
Martina Navratilova comes to mind. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2020, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-notable-bespectacled-athletes/922763/8 "2020-10-12T06:59:50Z")
Kent Tekulve. [https://images.app.goo.gl/X57Koo38dxzciMi59](https://images.app.goo.gl/X57Koo38dxzciMi59) ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2020, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-notable-bespectacled-athletes/922763/9 "2020-10-12T07:22:01Z")
…Daniel Vettori, former slow left-arm orthodox bowler/batsman for the NZ cricket team. > **[Daniel Vettori Profile - Cricket Player New Zealand | Stats, Records, Video](https://www.espncricinfo.com/cricketers/daniel-vettori-38710)** > > Read about Daniel Vettori cricket player from New Zealand profile, stats, rankings, records, videos, photos at ESPNcricinfo ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2020, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-notable-bespectacled-athletes/922763/10 "2020-10-12T13:14:21Z")
Chris Sabo [![](https://ewscripps.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/6120e22/2147483647/strip/true/crop/640x360+0+60/resize/1280x720!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmediaassets.wcpo.com%2Fphoto%2F2018%2F04%2F19%2FWCPO_Chris_Sabo_1996_1524118802105_84266449_ver1.0_640_480.jpg) ](https://ewscripps.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/6120e22/2147483647/strip/true/crop/640x360+0+60/resize/1280x720!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmediaassets.wcpo.com%2Fphoto%2F2018%2F04%2F19%2FWCPO_Chris_Sabo_1996_1524118802105_84266449_ver1.0_640_480.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2020, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-notable-bespectacled-athletes/922763/11 "2020-10-12T14:47:23Z")
Pro golfer Tom Kite had very poor vision, and always wore glasses on the course. At some point, he had laser eye surgery to correct his vision, and no longer wears the glasses. [![](https://pga-tour-res.cloudinary.com/image/upload/c_fill,dpr_1.5,f_auto,g_face:center,h_439,q_auto,w_439/v1/brightcove-video/v1/static/6082840763001/ccc7a427-49a5-4c8f-8ee1-d5605fe50dc4/8e8e3488-1ae7-437f-8c45-6692c7b2d9a4/1280x720/match/image.jpg) ](https://pga-tour-res.cloudinary.com/image/upload/c_fill,dpr_1.5,f_auto,g_face:center,h_439,q_auto,w_439/v1/brightcove-video/v1/static/6082840763001/ccc7a427-49a5-4c8f-8ee1-d5605fe50dc4/8e8e3488-1ae7-437f-8c45-6692c7b2d9a4/1280x720/match/image.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2020, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-notable-bespectacled-athletes/922763/12 "2020-10-12T14:52:03Z")
**Rinold George “Ryne” Duren** pitched 1954 through 1965. Was said to be the inspiration for the Wild Thing in _Major League_. > He was known for the combination of his blazing [fastball](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fastball) and his very poor vision. With his thick Coke bottle glasses, few batters dared to dig in against Duren. [Casey Stengel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casey_Stengel) said, “I would not admire hitting against Ryne Duren, because if he ever hit you in the head you might [be in the past tense](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death).” ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2020, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-notable-bespectacled-athletes/922763/13 "2020-10-13T14:23:45Z")
He was the first one I thought of. ---
**Author:** ![GreaterZamboni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/49beb7/32.png) [@GreaterZamboni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreaterZamboni)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2020, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-notable-bespectacled-athletes/922763/14 "2020-10-13T16:34:47Z")
Tennis great Arthur Ashe. Cleveland Indians’ great 1B/DH Andre Thornton ---
**Author:** ![Dahu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dahu/32/3416_2.png) [@Dahu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dahu)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2020, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-notable-bespectacled-athletes/922763/15 "2020-10-13T20:54:36Z")
1985 snooker World Champion, Dennis Taylor. > **[Dennis Taylor: Snooker player profile](https://www.snookercentral.com/dennis-taylor/)** > > Most of our younger readers wouldn’t remember the night Dennis Taylor won the World Championships in 1985, which saw more ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2020, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-notable-bespectacled-athletes/922763/16 "2020-10-14T00:16:52Z")
> [@kk\_fusion](#): > > Martina Navratilova comes to mind. And Billie Jean King. What is the most recent NBA player to play without wearing athletic glasses? ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2020, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-notable-bespectacled-athletes/922763/17 "2020-10-14T04:49:49Z")
Kareem’s weren’t prescription, were they? I always thought they were protective only. I remember when he first started wearing them, they were for protection because he was so unstoppable that he thought some opposing players were going for his eyes. ---
**Author:** ![SwissMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e79b87/32.png) [@SwissMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SwissMan)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2020, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-notable-bespectacled-athletes/922763/18 "2020-10-14T12:36:27Z")
One that I just thought of: Greg Maddux during his years with the Braves. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2020, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-notable-bespectacled-athletes/922763/19 "2020-10-14T13:55:10Z")
Current Yankee **Gleyber Torres** wears contact lenses on the field, but he also wears clear ‘glasses’ sometimes, for [reasons](https://www.si.com/mlb/yankees/news/gleyber-torres-glasses-spark-yankees-winning-streak). It sort of counts. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2020, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-notable-bespectacled-athletes/922763/20 "2020-10-14T17:03:02Z")
Joe Kelly, reliever for the Dodgers, Red Sox, and Cardinals. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-notable-bespectacled-athletes/922763.md?page=2)