We know a thing or two about classics. A classic edures the ebb and flow of fads and trends, maintaining a timeless quality that is worth the investment. The Classic mustache is no exception. It’s everything you know and love about the man’s man mustaches of the time.

Now a staple in big league games, the Classic mustache came to prominence in the 1970s and never left.

Caught somewhere between a young Teddy Roosevelt and a much older Elvis Presley, a pronounced set of mutton chops epitomized the outrageous 1970s. During this decade the style swept the league. And while plenty of players were satisfied with chops alone, we’re particularly fond of the creative masterpiece combinations with horseshoe ‘staches, afros, and beyond. Needless to say, it got wild.

This one has been hotly debated around our offices. Contrary to common misconception, the mustache that graced the face of one Mad Hungarian during the 70’s is called the horseshoe, not the Fu Manchu.

A style that literally grew from a player’s rejection of their barber, the Horseshoe features a Classic stache style across the upper lip and then two distinct “pipes”—the official term—descending downward on either side of the mouth to the chin.

And it wasn’t just one or two big leaguers who donned the look during this funkadelic decade. Horseshoe mustaches were found across the game—and, of course, on beer-crushing fans.

Some might call this style, most simply, a “handlebar”, and that would officially be correct. But we think it undersells the majesty of what Rollie Fingers (and Snidely Whiplash) accomplished. One does not simply have a handlebar mustache; one crafts and shapes and gently cares for a handlebar mustache, holding it aloft on their face like a crown upon a pillow.

No player held his handlebar aloft better than Fingers, a founding member of the Mustache Gang. So it’s no surprise that years later, when forced to choose between his career and distinguished, prolific facial hair friend, he chose his friend.

The mustache is my trademark, and it has been for 15 years, Fingers said. I am not about to shave it off just to play baseball.

OK, we're cheating here: this isn't facial hair. But it's such a great part of 70's baseball hair that we had to mention it.

The Afro, of course, was popular before and after the 1970’s and for some, it represented more than a hairstyle. Its most iconic big league proponents came in that decade. Ranging in size from Rod Carew to Eddie Murray and all the way up to Oscar Gamble, Afros expressed a player’s style on the field, and in Gamble’s case, his disdain for a haircut.

We're open to all suggestions, except a haircut.

Oscar Gamble