49ers Grow Mustaches to Honor John Ayers

by Jon Azpiri | December 23, 2008 at 12:23 pm

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The San Francisco 49ers are growing mustaches to honor the memory of former player John Ayers and other former 49ers.

The Niners' next game against the Washington Redskins will be a throwback game featuring old school jerseys and, for the first time, old school facial hair.

The idea to grow 'staches came from Captain Shaun Hill who declared yesterday "Mustache Monday."

Hill was inspired by a series of photos of former 49ers players who all sported a mustache such as Randy Cross, Kevin Fagan, and Roger Craig. Chief among those players was the late John Ayers.

"Every single day that we walk through here, you just can't help but admire John Ayers' mustache. It's awesome," Hill said.

Ayers was a former offensive lineman for the 49ers and won two Super Bowls with the team during their 1980s heyday. In 1995, Ayers died of liver cancer.

Ayers' story was one of many that appeared in Michael Lewis' best-selling book The Blind Side.

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