Denial, anger, acceptance: How players dealt with the Reds’ facial hair policy

On Feb. 15, 1999 Cincinnati Reds President Marge Schott lifted the team’s ban on facial hair, allowing new acquisition Greg Vaughn to keep his trademark goatee.

When Bob Howsam took over as general manager in the late 1960s, the Reds began to strictly enforce the facial hair policy, which had been in place since 1902.

He believed the clean-shaven look fit the Midwest.

Over the years, the Reds players who were forced to shave off their facial hair had many reactions, both positive and negative.

Why Rollie Fingers turned down the Reds: 'The ‘stache has been his trademark for 15 years'

Here is a look at some of the notable players who had to shave, and how they handled it.

Ross Grimsley, 1973

As The Enquirer’s Bob Hertzel wrote at the time the Reds traded the pitcher to Baltimore: “Ross Grimsley didn’t fit the image of a Cincinnati Red: the image so carefully molded by the master sculptor Bob Howsam.”

Grimsley wore his hair longer than manager Sparky Anderson liked, and in the offseason he wore a mustache. He also claimed to believe in witchcraft and said it was black magic that made him pitch well.

“I just don’t think I ever got the credit here I was due,” Grimsley told Hertzel.

Jim Kern, 1982

The bearded Kern, who was traded to the Reds along with the mustachioed Greg Harris, was vocally not happy about having to shave, although Harris complied.

At their introductory press conference, Harris said he had left his razor in California, but promised to shave. Kern said he would negotiate.

“I’m open to any suggestion, be it the beard or anything else,” he said at the time. “I’m not easy, but I can be had.”

Not easy was an understatement.

By August Kern was traded to the White Sox when he defiantly stopped shaving to go against club policy.

“That was the goal,” Kern told The Enquirer at the time. “The idea was to prod them along.”

Reds President Dick Wagner told The Enquirer in 1982: “I don’t want to comment on his beard. Jim Kern talked to me in July and said he didn’t fit in here.”

Dave Parker, 1983

When the Reds signed the free agent Cincinnati native in December 1983, off came the former MVP’s facial hair.

There were questions about his weight before the signing, but the outfielder joked at his press conference that he had lost 10 pounds by shaving.

Maybe the clean-shaven look rejuvenated his career. Parker drove in 94 runs in 1984, his most since 1979, and then went on to have even better years in 1985 and 1986 where he finished in the top-5 in MVP voting both seasons.

Bo Díaz, 1985

The veteran catcher was traded from the Phillies in August, 1985 and showed up freshly shaven just in time to face the Dodgers.

Díaz referred to the experience as ‘a funny feeling’, although he was referring moreso to being traded than shaving off his mustache.

He excelled with the Reds, hitting .261 in Cincinnati after only hitting .211 in Philadelphia.

Jeff Reardon, 1993

The Reds signed Reardon, then baseball’s all-time saves leader, to be their setup man in 1993.

The 37-year-old had 357 saves entering the season, and most of them came with his trademark bushy beard.

When asked how he felt about having to shave, Reardon at the time responded: “I’m not happy about that, but I’ve got to go by the rules. I haven’t shaved since 1980.”

Reardon added eight extra saves to his career total in his one season with the Reds, posting a 4.09 ERA in 58 appearances.

Jack Morris, 1995

The future Hall-of-Famer was with the Reds in spring training in 1995 competing for a starting spot. Along with that chance at competition came the requirement to shave off the mustache he wore for most of his career.

“I could have waited and have Gillette pay me a lot of money to do it on camera,” he joked to The Enquirer at the time. “Whoever makes those rules has to talk to Marge (Schott) about Samson.”

Maybe his Samson reference came true. He never made it out of spring training and retired.

Frank Viola, 1995

Viola won the 1988 American League Cy Young as a member of the Twins, sporting the trademark mustache he wore from 1982-1994. When the Reds signed the veteran during the 1995 season, it was time to say bye-bye to the facial hair.

“My daughters took a double take when they saw me without my mustache for the first time in 14 years,” he told The Enquirer at the time.

Ultimately he only started three games for the Reds. He went 0-1 with a 6.28 ERA in 14 1/3 innings.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Reds facial hair policy: How players responded